Some Kind of Fate
by linesfade
Summary: Some things are destined to come about, while others can't even begin to be comprehended. In a twist of fate, Kailey meets Warren who serves as a reminder of her situation...or is he meant to be her savior? First installment in a three part series.
1. Prologue

**Author's note:** I love this movie, don't you? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everyone else will love this story too. Please don't leave flames, but constructive criticism is MUCHLY appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters in the story, save Kailey, Gaila and James belong to me. There may be a few other invented along the way, but hey...we'll see. ;) Thank you to PH for all the background info you gave for the movie on the IMDB message boards! It's helped bunches! ;) Love & kisses!

**Some Kind of Fate**

_**Prologue**_

The day started off normal. Well, as normal as possible for someone with a telekinetic gift. Kailey Starr stretched and folded the sheets down the bed so that she could move. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed and tapped her right foot on the floor. Today would be her first day in attendance at Sky High School.

_"Kailey? Are you up?"_ her mother's voice echoed inside her head. Kailey nodded and stood up.

"Yes, Mom. I'm up," she called aloud down the stairs. "I'll be down in a bit."

She felt her mother smile inside her head. Gaila Starr was a telepath who could communicate mind-to-mind with others who had powers that complemented hers. It was limiting, but she made good use of it.

_"Hurry up then. Breakfast is waiting."_

Kailey smiled at the thought of breakfast and bowed her back, stretching every ligament that she possibly could. She lifted her arm and, with a flick of her hand, her closet doors opened wide. Kailey cocked her head, pondering her outfit for the day and finally began rifling through her closet. Moments later she emerged, holding a black tank top with a red star in the center, a black button-up shirt to go over it and a brand new pair of dark blue jeans. She folded the articles of clothing over her forearm and proceeded to the bathroom that was one room over from her bedroom.

Kailey leaned over the edge of the bath tub to get her shower water started, and then went over to the cabinet and set out all of the toiletries that she would need for the morning's preparation. She then went about taking her shower. The shower was a part of her morning routine. She would wake up, stretch, and then stand under the hot spray of her shower for thirty minutes while she washed her hair and let the muscles in her back unknot.

Before she knew it, her water was turning cold. Kailey stretched and yawned one last time before shutting off the shower and stepping out onto the worn blue rug on the bathroom floor. Kailey flipped her head over once and shook it out. When she flipped her hair back over her head, it was completely dry. Her auburn hair fell in layered waves over her shoulders and framed her face as she went about dressing.

Once her clothes were on, and her sleeves rolled up, Kailey gathered her makeup and began to do some light accenting with the items in front of her. She applied some creamy base, a little bit of powder on the spots of her face that ended the day the oiliest, dark grey eye shadow in the crease of her eyes and a lighter shade of grey along the lid, finished off with liquid black eyeliner. She checked that her silver star post earrings were still tight to her ears before continuing her morning ritual.

Kailey had learned nearly a year ago that she could use her abilities to fix her hair, apply her makeup and dress herself, but she preferred to do most of it on her own. Her hair was the only thing that she really hated to do by herself, especially when she was extremely tired. It had only been within the last couple of months that Kailey had found her other powers, and her mother had then decided to transfer her to Sky High from the regular high school that she had been attending.

Kailey had found out about her telekinetic powers when she had had a close call with a drunk driver. She had been shocked to find out that she had stopped the vehicle from barreling into her just by cowering with her arms held out before her. Her mother had been kind enough to help her in controlling that power, but Kailey's version of telekinesis differed from her mother's. Gaila's power was more empathy-oriented, whereas Kailey's was more physical: she could manipulate the placement of objects with her mind. Seven months ago, Kailey had found that she also had the power of invisibility. That was from her father, James Starr.

James Starr had been her mother's sidekick. Shortly after their marriage, Kailey had been born. James and Gaila, on several occasions, had teamed up with Jetstream and The Commander to combat evil. One such fight had stripped James of his powers…and his sanity. In order to take care of Kailey, Gaila had gone inactive. She went to college and earned a degree in engineering, while working on top secret projects for the government. When Kailey turned up with invisibility powers in the middle of her freshman year at a regular high school, Gaila knew that something had to be done. She pulled Kailey out of high school, home schooled her for the rest of the year, and put in an application for Kailey to Sky High. After Kailey had been accepted, Gaila had explained to her daughter that she would have to attend summer school to make up for the year that she was behind. Reluctantly, Kailey had agreed.

As she made her way down the stairs, Kailey frowned. She had been dragging her feet about the change of school for months now. She was leaving all of her friends behind in this transfer, and likely wouldn't see them as much. The thing that she was gaining, however, forced a smile back onto her face: the freedom to not worry about whether her powers would come up at the odd moment and expose her abilities to the wrong people.

_"Kailey,"_ her mother's voice came again._ "Your breakfast is getting cold!"_

"I'm on my way down!" she called as she jogged down the stairs. She went through the kitchen, dumped her dirty laundry into the hamper in the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen and then went back to the table to sit and eat her breakfast. She needed all of the nourishment she could get…it already felt as if it would be a long day.


	2. That's A First

_**Part One:**_

_**That's A First**_

The bus came to a bumpy landing in front of the school, leaving Kailey breathless and somewhat-panicky.

"Welcome to Sky High!" The bus driver's name was Ron Wilson. Rumor had it that he had become a super hero by falling in a vat of toxic waste and aside from fighting gigantic robots, he maintained his job with Sky High by continuing to drive the bus on her route. As the bus came to a halt, Kailey gathered all of her things and stood. She slung her backpack and black corduroy purse over one shoulder, and proceeded out down the aisle of the school bus. As she set foot on the school grounds, high above the earth, Kailey looked around and took in the students and teachers arriving by flight, jet packs and other school buses. She smiled. The school was somehow…perfect. It felt like home to her, though she knew that she had never been there.

"So? What do you think?" a girl asked behind her. Kailey turned to find a smiling redhead dressed in two different shirts in two different shades of green over a pair of light-colored blue jeans. "Great, isn't it?"

Kailey turned back to the school and nodded. "It looks great."

"I'm Layla Williams," she replied, extending her hand.

Kailey turned and smiled. She accepted her hand gratefully. "Kailey Starr. Nice to meet you."

"Kailey Starr, huh?" Layla gave Kailey an even wider grin. "I've heard about you."

Kailey arched an eyebrow. "Heard about _me_? Is that possible?

Layla laughed. "It's a small world in the super hero community. Your mom was one of the strongest telepaths before she went inactive…You're lucky to have such neat parents."

"Par_ent_, you mean. Dad's still…." Kailey trailed off as she scuffed the dirt with the toes of her red Chuck Taylors. She fidgeted with the star-studded black leather bracelet around her right wrist and then tugged at the red and black rubber bracelets on her left arm.

"I'm sorry, Kailey. I...I didn't…" Layla stuttered. Kailey offered her a shaky smile.

"It's okay. I should…really be used to it by now. Don't worry about it," Kailey gave Layla a sideways smile. "Now, where do I go for this power placement stuff?"

Layla smiled back at her, suddenly disappointed in herself for not remembering the Starr family's plight. "Power placement is in the gym. Follow me."

With a wink, Layla turned and led the way while Kailey's stomach did flip-flops the entire walk to the gym.

The group of freshmen was smaller than Kailey was used to. In her last high school there were nearly one hundred and seventy students in her class. At Sky High, there might have been twenty-five. It didn't take near as long as she had thought for Coach Boomer to get around to gauging her abilities.

"Red, you're up." Kailey glanced up at the man on the stage and reluctantly stepped forward. She cast a glance toward the stands where Layla sat, accompanied by someone dressed in red and blue that she hadn't yet been introduced to. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't place him. Kailey walked up the steps and took her place in front of the whole class. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, pulled her hands to her center and blew out her breath as she flung her hands up and outward. A small wind flew across her face as she opened her eyes to a chorus of gasps.

"Is that all you've got? Invisibility?" Boomer inquired as he stared off into space. He shook his head as Kailey reversed her motions and reappeared. "Sidekick!"

Kailey turned her head and looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. "I think you should wait to pass judgment on me until you've seen the whole show." Kailey raised one hand and set her aim on the podium on the far side of the gym. Kailey slowly raised her arm and the podium moved with it. Boomer nodded, arching an eyebrow.

"All right," he sighed as Kailey set the podium back in its place. Kailey had only an instant to react and raise her hands above her head before Boomer's voice echoed "_Car!_" in the gymnasium. She felt, rather than saw, the vehicle pummeling toward her and reached up instinctively, not only with her hands, but with her power. She channeled her thoughts into bringing the plunging car to a halt.

Kailey winced as she formed a mental path for her thoughts and pushed all of her energy, all of her power, into halting the car. She watched as its rate of descent slowly decreased and went down on one knee to center herself as her mother had instructed her. A grunt tore itself from her throat as she felt her control slipping away. Kailey forced her arms farther upward in a vain attempt to regain her control, but the hunk of metal let out a groan and shook as her control fled. With a cry of defeat, Kailey barrel-rolled to the right and out of the way of the falling car.

When the car came to a fierce, clanging halt on the raised platform in the middle of the gymnasium, Boomer shook his head in disappointment. Kailey stood up warily and dusted herself off. She glanced up at him reluctantly.

"Well, you showed some promise, kid. But if you can only control a podium…"

"**_No!_** I can do the car! Let me try again!" Kailey interrupted, positive that she could make the hero class.

"**_SIDE...KICK!_**" Boomer's voice exemplified his namesake as he shouted, drawling out each letter as long as he possibly could while Kailey's hair fluttered in the wake of his vocal ability. Once the last wave had gone past her, Kailey felt the heat of embarrassment crawl up her face and settle into her cheeks. She hung her head in shame. What would she tell her mother?

"That's it. We'll pick this up after lunch…starting with the orange kid at the back…" Boomer spoke as Kailey walked down the steps from the platform, lost in her thoughts. Before she knew it, the gym was nearly empty, and she didn't even react when Layla walked up behind her.

"Kailey?" Layla inquired tentatively. "Are you all right?"

Kailey shook her head. "He labeled me a sidekick. I could've…I could've stopped the car…"

"It'll be all right, Kailey. I'm a sidekick, too..," Layla shrugged as she placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder.

Kailey shot her a sideways glance. "I don't want to tell my Mom that I'm a sidekick, Layla. Not when I can be in the hero class."

Layla was silent for a moment as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She inquired timidly, "Could you really have stopped the car?"

Kailey pulled her eyes from the floor and looked at Layla, who appeared genuinely concerned for the new girl. She reached up with her power and felt the car's locking mechanism give way. With a rumble, the car began to fall freely, faster than it had fallen during power placement. Kailey stepped under the car and extended both arms high and wide above her.

To Layla's surprise, the car came to a halt two or three feet from Kailey's open palms. When the car was at a full stop, Kailey flicked a hand and the vehicle retracted itself back up into the high gym ceiling.

"Well..," Layla began in awe. "That's a first."


	3. Begin Again

**Part Two**  
_Begin Again_

Kailey spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what had happened to make her lose her control during power placement. The only things that she could think of that would interact with the effectiveness of her abilities involved being ill, new at her powers or having someone else in the room that could taint her abilities. Kailey knew she wasn't sick and she was well-versed in her telekinetic ability. Surely she would have sensed someone toying with her abilities…wouldn't she?

"So, Kailey, this is the lunch room." Layla made a wide sweeping motion with her arm as she led Kailey through the entrance to the room, and eventually through the lunch line. Kailey followed Layla to a table full of loud individuals, and Kailey frowned at the happy-go-lucky attitudes they all seemed to have. She just wasn't up for being happy at the moment. Layla smiled as she went around the table introducing Kailey to everyone.

"This is our resident glow worm, Zach…"

"Hey!" Zach gave Layla a false pained expression before turning back to Kailey with a shrug and a laugh. "All right…it's true."

Layla stifled a giggle before going on down the lunch table. "That's Magenta next to him."

"Hi," the black-and-purple-haired girl extended her hand for a handshake. Kailey accepted as Layla moved on, pointing to a scrawny kid across the table in orange.

"That's Ethan," The boy nodded at her while downing his food as Layla sat down next to a boy dressed in red, white and blue. "And this is Will Stronghold…my boyfriend."

Will offered his hand to Kailey as well, who accepted. Kailey winced a bit at the strength of the grip in his handshake.

"_Oh_! I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" Will's eyes flared with concern as Kailey shook her hand out in attempt to regain the feeling.

"No…It's okay, really. I'll be all right," Kailey smiled. As she took a seat across from Will, Layla and Ethan.

"Stronghold! Are you injuring innocents again?" A deep voice demanded from behind Kailey. The voice contained what seemed like the tail end of a laugh…as if the person behind it didn't laugh much. She felt the person hover behind her momentarily before leaning over the table to shake hands with Will.

"Kailey, this...is Warren Peace," Layla spoke as softly as the lunchroom clatter would allow, motioning her to turn and greet him. Kailey tensed up slightly at the mention of his name, but turned to him with a smile on her face anyway. He offered her a quick version of a smile and nodded before he turned back to the rest of the crowd at the table, greeting each one of them.

Her eyes followed him as he walked around the table to sit in front of her, a semi-interested look on his face. He was dressed nearly head-to-toe in black leather, and on each of his wrists were tattoos of flames that faded from red to yellow. Kailey took a deep breath as her eyes traveled upward over his form and took in the long hair so dark brown that it was nearly black. As her eyes met his, he raised an eyebrow. She gave him a soft smile before glancing back at Will, fighting the blush that she just knew was aching to climb her cheeks.

"Hmm. Will Stronghold and Warren Peace at the same table. That's nicely ironic." Kailey gave a half-hearted laugh as she bit into her hamburger. Will turned her laugh into a genuine one and nodded.

"I'll say," Warren added as he looked at Kailey closely from across the three feet of gray tabletop. "I don't think I caught your last name."

Kailey shook her head as she swallowed her food. She looked at Warren as she replied quietly. "It's Starr. Kailey Starr."

"Starr," he mumbled to himself as his shoulders slumped a bit. Kailey wouldn't have been able to tell the slight change, had she not been watching his response.

"You're serious?" Magenta blurted out in amazement before meeting with a chorus of shushes from the other occupants at the table. Kailey nodded absently as she glanced over at the purple-haired girl. Out of the corner of her eye, Kailey saw Warren stand up abruptly, knocking his knee against the support brace of the table.

"I'll be back, guys," he muttered before exiting the lunch room, his black backpack in tow.

The table was quiet as the group finished their lunches. Kailey was toying with the last remaining French fry on her plate when Magenta spoke up again.

"Okay…someone tell me exactly what was Warren's deal?" She was obviously still confused about his change of moods.

Kailey sighed. "Actually, I think I am going to excuse myself as well. Layla, I assume I'm supposed to meet you in class after lunch?"

Layla nodded in reply before Kailey stood up. "Okay. See you then," Kailey spoke quietly as she picked up her lunch tray and proceeded over to the group of gray trash cans in the front of the lunch room to dump off the remnants of her lunch. She picked the apple off of her tray before sliding off the trash, and deposited the tray into the washing station before leaving the lunchroom.

As she stepped out into the main corridor, she looked left, toward her locker, and then right toward the front doors of the school. She had the sudden urge to walk outside and, for the first time in her life, she heeded it. As soon as she cleared the doorway, her eyes landed on a distraught Warren Peace. His head hung low and Kailey took a steadying breath. She had the feeling that she should talk to him, though she didn't know what to say. Her feet were moving before she knew it, and she found herself leaning over the landscaping wall in front of the school, the wall on which he was sitting.

Kailey opened her mouth and closed it twice before finally finding something to say.

"Are you okay?" she inquired softly.

Even to her, it sounded lame. What kind of a person began a conversation with 'Are you okay?' She kicked herself even harder mentally when Warren let out a choked laugh.

"Every year in this place it's something new. My freshman year, it was pretty normal…just getting used to the place, you know?" he paused and shook his head. "Last year it was Stronghold and the whole Homecoming ordeal. This year…" he finally looked down at her. "This year it's you."

Kailey took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I never expected this either," she began. "Honestly, I expected to hate you, as ridiculous as that sounds." She laughed. "I expected you to be more like…"

"My father?" Warren supplied. Kailey's eyes went wide for a moment before looking down at the top of the brick wall. She nodded.

"Yeah. I did," she muttered.

"Hmm," he looked away from her again, out into the open air. "Well, I suppose there's still time for me to turn out like him."

Kailey looked up, surprised. "Don't say that!"

Warren sighed. "I'm sorry. I…I know we've had the same problems our whole lives…"

Kailey nodded.

"Just be glad you don't know what it's like to have the person who ruined your life for your father," Warren muttered as he pushed himself off of the wall and walked briskly back into the school.

Kailey watched him walk away, dumbfounded. As she watched, Layla and Will walked out the door together and cast curious glances at their dark friend. As he brushed past them without a word, Layla broke from Will to walk over to Kailey.

"What was that all about?" Layla inquired.

Kailey shrugged, her mouth hanging open in confusion. "I…I don't think I know the whole story here."

Layla cocked her head. "You mean with Warren? Or Yourself?"

Kailey glanced over at Layla as Will walked up. "Both of us. I thought I knew it all, but I don't think I do…"

Will took Layla's hand in his as he stepped up beside her. "Why don't you come over to my house tonight, Kailey? You can meet my parents…and hear the whole story from them. I think it would answer a lot of your questions."

Kailey looked up at Will and nodded. "I think I just might have to," she replied as her gaze shifted back toward the front doors of the school where Warren had retreated through.

While Kailey was still pondering over the odd exchange between Warren and herself, the bell to end lunch rang. Layla squeezed Kailey's shoulder and motioned for her to follow.

Kailey frowned as she followed Layla and Will to the Hero Support II class. Will said his goodbyes at the door and left Layla and Kailey to enter the room. Kailey did so in silence while Layla went in, greeting her sidekick friends as if she hadn't just eaten lunch with them. Kailey might have been in attendance physically, but mentally, all she could think about was Warren Peace.


	4. Everything

**Part Three**

_Everything_

The bell rang to signal the end of the day, and suddenly Kailey's worries about what she would tell her mother resurfaced. The students in the History of Sidekicks class all stood and moved for the exit in unison, except for Kailey and Layla.

"So…have you figured out what to tell your mom?" Layla asked as she watched Kailey gather up all of her belongings.

Kailey shook her head. "I don't know if I can. I mean, I know I have to…but I just don't know if I can do it. "

"Will was the same way when he was placed as a sidekick," Layla stated as she leaned up against her desk.

"Yeah, right. Will Stronghold as a sidekick? In what universe?" Kailey laughed as she dropped her red notebook and spiral into her red and black backpack. As soon as it was zipped, Kailey flung it over her shoulder and picked up her purse. She looked up at Layla who had a somber expression on her face.

"You're serious." Kailey made it a statement.

"Of course," Layla replied with a hint of laughter in her voice as the girls walked out the classroom door together.

"What happened that landed him in sidekick class?" Kailey inquired, genuinely interested.

"Nothing _happened_. Will just…hadn't developed his powers when we all went to power placement. A few weeks later, he and Warren got into a fight. When Warren raised a huge fireball to throw at us, Will's super strength kicked in. He had been under one of the tables and he just lifted the table, with Warren on top of it, and threw it across the room," Layla explained a little too quickly with a sigh. "They took out two walls, I think. Honestly, they nearly destroyed the cafeteria."

"I'll bet that was _amazing_ to watch," Kailey tried to imagine the fight between the two, but she just couldn't. Warren and Will seemed to her to be very good friends.

Layla gave a chuckle. "That's one word for it. Let me just say that it was…frightening. Will didn't have his powers, and Warren was hurling these enormous fireballs at him. I think that I was more worried about Will than I was for myself." Layla caught Kailey giving her a look, and held up her hands in defeat. "It was silly, I know."

"I think 'silly' might be an _understatement_," Kailey's amusement produced a giggle from both girls as they made their way down the main corridor of the school, and walked out the front doors to await their bus home. Kailey hopped up onto the wall that Warren had seated himself on earlier and looked at Layla hopefully.

"So…the Commander and Jetstream," she continued after a short pause. "What are they like?"

"Layla smiled brightly as Will walked out the front doors of the school building, trailed by Zach and Magenta. "They are amazing, Kailey. Really."

"But, are you sure they'll tell me…?"

"Positive," Will smiled as he walked up to Layla and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. He looked up as their bus came to yet another bumpy stop.

Kailey rolled her eyes and groaned, "Are **_all_** of his landings that rough?"

Layla and Will laughed as they all headed toward the waiting school bus. "Yeah, pretty much," Will replied.

"Always," Layla added, smiling, as she boarded the bus. Kailey hung her head. She had three more years and a summer to get used to the horrendous landings. And, sadly enough, Kailey thought she just might need it all.

* * *

"Hey, Mom, it's me," Kailey spoke into her cellular phone as she stepped off of the school bus with Will, Layla and the rest of the sidekicks.

"Where are you, Kailey? I thought you'd have been…Oh. You've made some friends, haven't you?" Kailey could hear the smile in her mother's voice even through the bad connection, and couldn't help but smile as well. Her mother's constantly good mood was always contagious. It had been that way since Kailey could remember.

"I did!" Kailey replied out of excitement. "Mom, I just wanted to call to let you know that I'll be over at the Stronghold house to study a bit and hang out. I won't be out long, though. I know you worry."

"Stronghold, huh?" Gaila's voice hitched a bit, but soon regained its happy quality. "You'll be in good hands, then. Give Steve and Josie my best, Kailey."

She nodded and then realized that her mother couldn't see it. "I will."

"And Kailey?"

"Yes, Mom?"

"Be home before eleven, all right? I just have a…feeling."

Kailey's stomach clenched a bit. She hated it when her mother had premonitions. It usually meant that something was about to go wrong. _Way_ wrong.

"I promise, Mom. I love you," Kailey replied softly into the cellular phone.

"I love you too, Kai. Be careful."

"I will. See you soon, Mom. "

"Bye, Kailey."

"Bye, Mom," Kailey replied as she flipped her phone closed.

"Are you good to go?" Zach inquired as he hopped down the sidewalk. Kailey nodded as she tried to suppress a laugh at his childish behavior.

"I can stay for a while, but I've got to be home by eleven…"

"ELEVEN? That's _nuts_!" Zach looked surprised. "We're only allowed out until…"

"Eleven," Magenta interrupted, giving Kailey a wink. "on weekends, or if we're studying. If we're just hanging out, we have to be home by ten. It's the same way for all of us."

"That's not…quite what I meant. My mom…she has these intuitions time and again, and as far as I can remember they've never been wrong. She said that she felt like something was going to happen, and that I was to be home no later than eleven…Now that I think about it, you guys should probably do the same," Kailey explained as Will led the way up the front steps to his house.

He pulled the front door open with a flourish and ushered everyone inside. Kailey hung back a couple of steps while everyone else went in.

"Kailey?" Will glanced at her expectantly. Kailey gave him a shy grin.

"Will, are you sure…?"

"Hey, it's fine. Come in and have a seat on the couch. No one bites, I promise." He gave her an encouraging smile. Reluctantly, Kailey crossed the threshold to the house and walked from the entryway into the living room where everyone was being greeted by Steve and Josie Stronghold.

Will's parents looked up, smiles on their faces. Their son, they expected, but they didn't know Kailey.

"And who is this?" Steve Stronghold inquired, a wide smile on his aging features. Kailey offered him a nervous smile in return as Layla looked up from whatever laid in her lap.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold," Layla began. "This is Kailey Starr."

Kailey watched as the Strongholds' faces went soft at the recognition of her name. Before her mind could fully process the situation, Josie Stronghold had crossed the room in a blur and enveloped Kailey in a fierce hug. She thanked God for little favors that it wasn't Steve Stronghold clutching her so tightly…she'd have been broken in half if it had been.

When Josie pulled away, she gripped Kailey's upper-arms with her hands and smiled down at her. "How are you doing, Kailey? We haven't seen you since…"

"…Since you were a baby," Steve cut in, placing a hand on Josie's shoulder. "It's good to see you…and so grown up."

Kailey blushed a bit with all of the attention as Will, Layla and the sidekicks watched the exchange with smiles on their faces.

"How is your family doing?" Josie asked eagerly, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"Mom is doing well. She asked me to send you her regards," Kailey replied. "Dad is…still at Maxville Psychiatric…"

Josie's face fell a little as Kailey trailed off, and Steve's happy expression transformed into a half-sour, half-pitiful expression as he turned away and ran his fingers through his hair. He turned back to Kailey and spoke genuinely with a fierce look in his eyes. "Your father was a good man. Would you give your mother our sympathies, Kailey?"

The girl nodded. "I will, Mr. Stronghold."

Will cleared his throat behind them. "Dad? Can I borrow you for a moment?"

Steve turned to look at his son over his shoulder and nodded. "Of course, Will." He gave Kailey a wink before walking over to Will. Steve threw an arm around his son's shoulders and led him into an adjacent room, closing the glass doors behind them.

* * *

As soon as the doors were closed, Steve Stronghold looked at his son and, noting his serious expression, moved to access the Secret Sanctum. Will held up his hand to halt his father's motions.

"We don't have to be that secretive, Dad," he began. "I just have to ask you a favor."

"What is it, Will?" Steve's face went serious as he posed the question.

"It's…for Kailey, Dad. She just transferred to Sky High today and tried to have a conversation with Warren. It didn't…go over so well. She thinks that if she knows what happened with her parents that she'll be able to get along better, I think," Will sighed.

Steve narrowed his eyes at his son. "What does she want to know, Will?"

Will took a deep breath and looked up at his dad. "Everything."

* * *

**Author's notes: **

First off, I would just like to thank everyone who seems to be enjoying this story so far. I promise, the action will be coming up shortly…it's a slow start just to set up everything, but it will come as soon as I have the time to write it. I'm handwriting most of this story while I'm bored out of my mind at work, so I'm usually one chapter ahead at all times so that I know where I'm headed.

**ShadowPhoenix** – Thank you so much for your consistent reviews. ;) It means a lot to read them and know that this story is worth reading. :)

**Black Bird Death** – I love her powers as well. I couldn't believe that there wasn't one person in Shy High mentioned with either one of her powers. Oh well, I suppose that it just makes Kailey a little bit more original that way…if a super heroine _can_ be unique…

**Lunar Guardian Phoenix** – Like I mentioned, I'm just setting up the background and the action in the plot will be along shortly. I think the action is the only part of the story I'm not 100 clear on yet. I want to have Warren's dad in at some point…but too many of the fan fictions that I have read have his dad as the main villain. I wanted to wait to bring in Barron Battle and Justice Peace (Warren's mom)…those sequences I have down in my mind…we'll just have to see when they all decide to show up. I _am_ trying to make Barron wait until the sequel, at least, but he's **not** a pushover. I'll just have to see how things pan out.

**WestTrekker** – Thanks for the review! Keep reading and reviewing, and I will definitely keep writing:D

**In The Grid** – Thanks so much! Keep watching…it's about to get interesting in the next couple of chapters…I hope.

**AragornsGirl** – I'm really glad you like it. I wanted to stay true to the movie and not make Kailey into a huge Mary-Sue…I know I hate stories where some random person takes over and makes everyone else look small in comparison. I hope that everyone gets from this chapter that Kailey isn't an attention-getter. She really doesn't like to be known for what happened to her father.

I hope you all liked the latest addition! Review and let me know what you liked & disliked! There's a table of refreshments to the right. Eat, drink and enjoy!


	5. Past As Prologue

**Part Four**  
_Past as Prologue_

While Will and his father were locked away inside the Strongholds' study, Kailey finally relaxed. Josie Stronghold offered the group of students a variety of drinks and snacks before Kailey finally decided on a Pepsi and the group decided on sharing some tortilla chips and salsa.

She also gave the sidekicks control over the television, and Zach took the opportunity to flip through the channels and stop on some science fiction show with strange-looking creatures terrorizing humans. Kailey frowned at the choice of programming, but took another drink of her Pepsi. Layla was attempting to wrestle the remote away from him when the glass doors of the study parted. Will walked purposefully out of the study, up to Kailey and extended a hand to her.

"Come with me. We've got something to show you," he began with a hint of a smile on his face. Will looked up at Layla as Kailey stood. "Keep an eye on them, okay, Layla?"

"Sure," she nodded and smiled back at Will before shooing Kailey along.

"Josie," Steve waved his wife over to him, and he received a sideways glance in return. "Come with us."

Mrs. Stronghold's eyebrows knitted at her husband out of curiosity, but she moved to stand by him, nonetheless. Steve took her by the hand and led her into the study as Will and Kailey trailed behind.

"You kids behave," Steve called out over his shoulder. He turned to look at the kids in the living room one last time and let his eyes land on Zach, the most brazen of the bunch. "We'll be back shortly."

Zach swallowed his chip slowly, feeling as if the Commander, instead of Steve Stronghold, had been speaking to him. The boy nodded and sank backward into the couch. The command was met with a chorus of "Yes, Sir's" as the glass doors were pulled tight once again.

Once inside the study, Steve Stronghold walked over to Kailey and smiled at her.

"Kailey, what I am about to tell you and show you stays between us four," he held up three fingers without realizing it and put them down just as quickly. Kailey had to bite her inner lip to keep from giggling as he continued. "Several years ago, we made a promise to your mother…"

Josie stepped up next to her husband, finally having an idea of where the conversation was headed, and laid a hand on his shoulder blade. Steve Stronghold folded his arms across his chest as his wife continued for him. "We promised her that when you were old enough, we would allow you access to our Sanctum. Your mother gave hers up years ago in order to take care of you, outside of the world of heroes and villains. Now that you're at Sky High with Will…we just want you to know that we would be more than happy to have you over anytime you need it."

Kailey looked around the room at the Stronghold Three, each of them with a wide smile on their face. In Will's eyes, Kailey found a hint of surprise, but she felt the impression that he was excited about having one other person to share the Sanctum with. Steve Stronghold walked over to a painting on the wall, pressed a few buttons and a plain, frosted palm-scanner took the place of the image.

"Put your hand here, Kailey. This will give you your own access anytime you need it," he explained. Kailey placed her palm flat on the marked section of the panel as she was instructed, and then smiled as a warm light scanned every pore and crease in her palm.

_"Identification input accepted."_ A computerized voice hummed as Steve gently lifted Kailey's hand from the screen. He punched a few more buttons, and the screen changed again. In its place was a second identification scanner, this time with the complete outline of a hand. Josie nodded for her to place her hand over the scanner, and for a second time, a humming, warm light scanned her palm. A soft beep sounded after the processing was complete, and a green light came on to signal her identification was approved.

"Awesome," she muttered as the armoire in the center of the room split into two pieces to reveal two brass fire poles. Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold gave Kailey a smile as they advanced to the poles and latched on.

"As soon as we're down, feel free to follow so we can show you around," Josie smiled at her before she and her husband pushed off of the landing. Before she knew it, the Strongholds were gone.

"_Awesome_!" Kailey stated again as she glanced at Will.

"We're up. You ready?" Will inquired as he placed one hand on the pole his father had descended.

"Uh…_yeah_!" Kailey nearly leapt onto the pole that Josie Stronghold had gone down. "Race ya!" She exclaimed as she felt herself begin to slide down the brass pole. Will released his grip just before Kailey was even on the pole, and he beat her down by half of a second.

"No fair!" Kailey protested with a false pout. "You cheated!"

Will simply shrugged and smiled at her before motioning her to look around. As she looked, Kailey's eyes tried to take in everything at once. There was a section for trophies, a sort of command center, a pool table and a pinball machine in the far corner. Kailey felt as if she was in heaven.

"This…this is for real?" Kailey stuttered.

"This is for real," Steve smiled brightly at Kailey as he placed his arm around his wife's shoulders. Josie, in return, put her arm around her husband's waist. Will walked over to his mother's command center and pulled the chair over for Kailey before producing two more chairs for his parents and a stool for himself. Kailey seated herself immediately, as if the Sanctum were too much to take in. While Will's parents were gazing lovingly at one another, Will took the opportunity to squat down next to Kailey. He eyed his parents from his low vantage point, trying not to snicker, as he nudged her knee. Kailey's head whipped around to look at Will.

"What!" she mouthed at him.

"Ask them," he whispered in reply, drawling out each word so that she could understand him. Will watched as her eyes grew wide and flicked from him to his parents and then back again. "It's okay. Just ask them," he whispered again as he patted her knee.

Kailey's stomach was doing flip-flops at the thought of asking about what happened to her father. All that she really knew was that when she was little, her father was living with them, and then one day, her mother had to check him into Maxville Psychiatric. Kailey knew that he'd lost his powers in a fight, but she didn't know details. She wanted to know details.

Kailey cleared her throat, and the Strongholds turned their smiling faces to her in unison. "May I…ask you guys a question?"

"Of course!" Josie smiled wider. "Anything!"

Steve Stronghold took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. Josie looked at him quizzically as Kailey took a steadying breath and began.

"I want to ask you," she paused. "about my dad. I don't know a lot, and I want to know the whole story so I thought that you could…tell me." Kailey spoke in a rush, for fear that if she stopped again, she would never get out her entire question.

"Kailey," Josie breathed as she tried to gather her bearings. "Are you…sure you want to know?"

Kailey nodded in reply. "Mom won't say much. All that she's ever said is that he lost his mind and powers in a fight. She won't say who it was with or where it was, but I know it was Warren's father," Josie gave Kailey a quizzical look, and the girl just shrugged. "She has rough days…and she projects a lot of thoughts when she's upset. I've felt part of her memories and I know it wasn't pretty, but I still need to know. I need to know how Dad ended up like he did."

Kailey watched the emotions flash across Josie Stronghold's face as she remembered the battle. Josie blinked a few times before her eyes could focus on Kailey once again.

"You were little then," she began in a far-away tone. "Maybe…two or three years old. Your father, James," Josie tossed the girl a smile as she remembered how he interacted with his daughter. "He loved you, Kailey. He would take you everywhere with him, until one day there was a mass summons put out to all of the local heroes. We all answered because we knew who it was for."

"Barron Battle," Kailey nodded. Josie pondered the girl for a moment before nodding.

"Barron Battle, yes. Your parents and Justice Peace, Warren's mother, stood with us on the front line. Everyone else that turned up looked scared out of their minds, but your father, brave and foolish as ever, decided to try to talk Barron down…"

---

_"Barron!" James Starr called out over the sound of crackling tree branches. Several trees in the middle of Alwright Park in Maxville's Metropolis had been burnt to the ground in order to clear a staging ground for the biggest battle the town would ever see. James Starr called out in desperation, hoping to at least delay the inevitable. Barron Battle was in a complete rage, his entire body engulfed in flames as his wife, Justice Peace, watched on in horror. She shook her head and glanced down the front line of the town's defenses. The Commander and Jetstream stood to the far side of the line, far enough apart that they could stand with their arms fully-extended, should the need arise. They stood with their legs shoulder-width apart and their hands on their hips. Beside Jetstream stood Gaila Starr, James' wife, and beside her, stood James. Justice could practically see the stress that was building up between the man's shoulders. He might have been a sidekick, but he was the bravest one that she had ever met. _

_Justice risked a glance behind her, but she was not reassured by their numbers. She would be the first to admit that her husband was an extremely frightening man, but she would rather die than see him take out the whole town of Maxville. She had a job to do, and Justice Peace always held up her end of the deal._

_"Barron!" James called out again. "We know that you didn't mean all that happened today. That isn't you! _Please_, calm down so that we can talk all of this out!"_

_"**TALK! **You want to **TALK!**" Barron Battle burned with rage and seething hatred. It was blind rage, but it fed his fire as well as rage with reason. Each time he emphasized the word "talk," the flames around him burned hotter and flared higher. James closed the one-hundred foot gap between the heroes and villains by a couple of steps and raised his cloak over his face until the heat receded again. "What is there to talk about, Starr? You know **nothing** of what happened today, my **friend**."_

_"Barron! Today doesn't matter! You have a wife and you have a son!" James called out over the crackling of the flames, motioning to Justice behind him. "Don't you want to see Warren grow up? Have you even _thought_ about what this will do to him? You'll break him, Barron!"_

_Barron Battle narrowed his eyes at the sidekick. "What would **you** know about it, Starr? Have you thought about what the end of this will do to your daughter!"_

_"You leave Kailey out of this! She has nothing to do with what is happening here!" James could feel the stress of the situation creating knots in his neck and shoulders. He knew that Barron was trying to bait him, and James was trying as hard as he could not to rise to it. _

_"Oh, James! You're only fooling yourself! You know very well that the only reason you and Gaila are here is to provide for her future safety! And just between you and me," Barron called back, snickering. "You know she'll only be a sidekick. Daughters only inherit their father's powers."_

_"Well, I suppose we'll just have to see about that, won't we? Why don't you come over here so we can talk about it?" James took a steadying breath and let it out slowly in hopes that Barron wouldn't notice how he was being affected by the villain's remarks._

_Justice watched the exchange with hooded eyes. Her family, as far back as anyone could trace, had always been a balancing force to the universe. As soon as something popped up that caused too much evil to stir in the world, her family was there to bring the opposites back into alignment. Now it was her turn. _

_Justice took a step forward and laid a hand on James' shoulder, concentrating on funneling calmness and relaxation into him. As she focused, her blue-black hair swirled about her dark-skinned face in the breeze, and it made her look as Native American as the blood coursing through her veins. Her brown eyes closed as she concentrated on sending her power into James._

_James, as soon as Justice's hand laid on his shoulder, felt his tension melt away. He was grateful that Justice Peace was on their side of the line and not Barron's. Her main power was to manipulate emotions: hate, anger, fear, love, happiness, and so on and so forth, but she tended to use her emotional abilities more for calming and happiness because of her family's Native American heritage and their alliance to the good in the universe. Her secondary power was a slight control over the winds._

_Into him, she channeled calmness. James was utterly thankful, though he could feel the heat rising from the other side of the park again as long as she was touching him. All of the muscles in his body unclenched and he began to be able to think clearly once again._

'Let me try,' _a whispered voice came to him on the wind. It was Justice's voice. James knew that if anyone could reach out to Barron and end this with words, it would be Justice. He nodded his assent and took two steps backward to fall into line with his wife, Jetstream and the Commander. _

_The crowd of heroes watched as Justice took up James' place in the middle of the park and raised her arms to the sky, palms facing each other. In between her raised hands, her power rippled. It looked as if the air between her hands had transformed into something tangible and was rolling and twisting over itself again and again. Justice nursed the mass until it was twice the size of her head before pulling it down before her, turning sideways and thrusting it toward the band of villains. A wind whipped all around them, twisting and turning its way through each of them, but it was Justice's voice speaking to them individually that made some of them fall to their knees in tears. The large mass of heroes watched in awe as Barron Battle's flames flickered out little by little in the gusts of wind._

'Barron,' _the wind whispered to him as Justice held out her left hand, the diamonds in her wedding ring winking at him in the rapidly-setting sun. _'You have a life, my love. You have a family. Won't you come home to us?'

_Justice's brown eyes were fogged up, misty with unshed tears. She used her outstretched hand to show Barron the torment and misery she felt at having to come against him in the battle. _'Please come back to us,' _the wind whispered. _'We need you…your **son** needs you…**I** need you…'

_The crowds watched as Barron's hands went to his face to hide his anguish. He let out a choked cry as the feelings washed over him, tugging at his mind. Gaila Starr, known to the world as Empathy, took that moment to step up next to Justice. Gaila joined hands with Justice and formed images from the other woman's memories. Together, the women channeled their abilities to send Barron both images and emotions. _

_Sadness was sent with an image of Barron going off to work and a feeling of happiness was sent with a mental picture of Warren as a newborn, playing with his father. Image after image was sent in a barrage of vision and emotion to the pyrokinetic in hopes that it would calm him down. The final image that was sent was an image of that very moment from Justice's point of view. The feeling that accompanied it was betrayal._

_"NO!" Barron shouted, his arms and shoulders erupting once again in flames. The sudden pressure from the flames sent his curly hair to flying wildly about his face. "Stop your mind games, woman!"_

_Justice's eyes narrowed at the man she called her husband. "I'm not playing games with you, Barron! I want you to stop this! There's no reason for you and I to fight like this!" She called out above the noise of the flames._

_"That's right! You should be here, fighting **with** me, not **against** me!"_

_"**No one** should be fighting! Stop this **now**!" She called out to him and summoned the wind to crash into him. Barron stumbled backward with the force of the gust, but his flames did not extinguish. He pushed back against the wind and hurled a fireball at his wife. Justice summoned the wind into her hands and sent a hard gust of wind to counter the speed of the fireball. The wind effectively slowed the fireball, and a blast of ice from behind Justice froze the fireball in midair. Gravity took hold of the once-fireball and brought it crashing to the ground where it shattered. _

_"That's enough talk!" Barron shouted, his gruff voice holding disdain. He glanced behind him at his diminished ranks and grimaced. "We came here to fight, and I will not be dissuaded…**PERSES**!"_

_A short man with dark hair came out from behind Barron, toting a large silver weapon. _

_"Perses, here, holds a weapon far greater than any of your powers. You all labeled him a sidekick, but his power lies in something more volatile than even my own," Barron called out with a twisted grin. "Technology."_

_Perses hoisted his weapon and sighted it at the Commander. The Commander's eyes went to tiny slits as he glared at the man. "You think you can defeat all of the heroes in Maxville with that little toy gun, Barron? I'll going to tell you right now that you are **completely** out of your mind!"_

_Barron simply gave the Commander an evil grin. "Why don't you show him what your 'little toy gun' can do, Perses?" _

_"With pleasure," Perses replied with a smug grin. He hitched the gun up a little bit higher and re-sighted on the Commander. Justice saw what was about to happen and summoned the power of the winds to her once again. She created a vortex behind Perses and called it toward her. Not knowing what kind of damage it would do to the park or other life forms, Justice used the vortex to turn the ray gun on herself. _

_Once Barron saw what she was trying to do, his eyes went wide. "**Justice! NO!**" He shouted, his cry to her echoing in emptiness of the moonlit park. In the slim light from the moon, Justice could just barely make out the beginnings of an energy flare at the tip of the weapon. Everything after that went in slow motion. _

_She heard Barron's cries for her to stop as she swung the ray gun toward her, but she couldn't heed them. She watched intently as the lasers from the weapon collected together and formed a bright purple ball of energy. Before she knew it, the ball had left the gun and struck her square in the chest. Before she blacked out, she tried to summon the wind to blow the gun away from the villain's hands…but it was as if her powers had never existed. They were gone._

_Her last thought before she blacked out was that Barron would be going after their son next…_

…

_James and Gaila watched in horror as Justice fell to the ground and did not get back up. Gaila's jaw fell open and her hands flew up to cover her mouth as panic flared up inside her chest. The park was silent as Barron's flames had extinguished in his vain attempt to stop his wife from taking the hit herself. James looked up at Barron who had stopped in the middle of the park, his arms outstretched. He fell to his knees as the heroes watched Justice's body begin to levitate. At first, James thought that it was Barron's doing, but then he noticed a pair of raised arms behind him. Barron Battle had employed a kinetic. The kinetic levitated Justice's body over to Barron and set her limp form down in front of him. He gathered her up in his arms and let out a loud wail._

_Once his despair was enough to refuel his anger, he picked her up and set her out of the way under a tree. Once she was out of his arms, Barron sucked in several deep breaths and then erupted in flames. He growled as he turned and looked at the Commander, the flames surrounding his body mirrored in his brown eyes. _

_"**Now** it begins!" He growled as he ran straight for the crowd of heroes, charging full speed ahead for the Commander. _

_Soon Gaila and James Starr found themselves lost in the battle as well. They had no strategy; it was only fighting for survival. Slowly, villain after villain went down, but it wasn't fast enough. For every villain that fell in battle, two heroes lost their powers to Perses' weapon. _

_Gaila concentrated on the battle in front of her, though the back of her mind was screaming at her to take out Perses. She smashed her fist into the face of a blonde man, causing him to stagger backward and into the Commander. The Commander didn't have to turn around to pick up the man; he simply reached over his shoulder, took hold of the man by the collar of his black leather jacket, and hoisted the villain over his shoulder. The Commander shifted the villain so that he would be easier to throw, and threw him discus-style with all of his might toward a scowling group of villains who had yet to join the battle. They all fell down and none would get back up._

_"Gaila!" James called out as he punched and wrestled his way over to her through the melee. He panted a bit as he tried to regain his breath when he finally reached her. "We have to take out that weapon."_

_She nodded. "But we can't risk the Commander or Jetstream, and Justice is gone." Gaila risked a glance at the unconscious woman leaned up against a tree on the far side of the battle. _

_"We'll have to do it ourselves," he replied before he drop-kicked a dark-haired man away from himself and Gaila. As he was getting back up, Gaila thrust her power outward in a power arc to keep the advancing villains at bay. The blast sent every villain in their vicinity sliding back a few feet, giving the heroes a momentary chance to breathe and get re-focused. James looked at Gaila with a sad smile. "I love you, Gaila."_

_Gaila looked hard at him and fought the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She summoned the inkling of the kinetic gift that she had to throw up a force field around the two of them. "I love you too, James."_

_James saw the slight sparkle of apprehension in her eyes and sighed. "Don't be a hero, Gaila," he warned. "If something happens to me, you get out of here. You have to take care of Kailey." Tears threatened to fall from his eyes as well, but he blinked them back._

_"I'll be all right…I'll shield you…" she began._

_"NO! You take care of yourself! Concentrate on you and them," he motioned at the villains pressing in against Gaila's force field. "Do not worry about me. Do you understand?"_

_Gaila nodded reluctantly as her tears began to fall. James pulled her to him and held her tightly. He kissed her softly and then looked her squarely in the eyes. _

_"I love you both," he said before turning away. "You remember that."_

_Gaila took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. She took a calming breath before she turned and dropped her force field. As the villains charged her, Gaila focused on the problem at hand. She had a job to do, and if it was the last thing that she did, she would uphold her end of the deal…_

_James didn't dare look back over his shoulder for fear that he would lose his nerve and back down. He moved toward Perses slowly through the thickening crowd, and ducked as ice blasts and fireballs roared past his head. He dispatched villain after villain and before long, he found himself so close to Perses that he could reach out and touch him._

_James could feel the familiar tingle of Gaila's power brushing his aura and smiled. She was using her power to cloak him, though she knew that he could turn invisible at any moment on his own. He inched closer and closer to Perses, but paused when he saw the Commander leap into the air. As the Commander came down to the ground, he knelt and plunged his fist into the ground, causing a minor earthquake. The ground rippled under James' feet, and he stumbled in front of the weapon. He felt Gaila's power recede and watched as Perses' hand fumbled for the trigger after finally noticing James' proximity. _

_James turned himself invisible, thinking that he could confuse Perses and dodge the hit from the weapon, but he wasn't fast enough. Because of the close range of the weapon, the power blast from the ray gun struck James as he was barely beginning to turn invisible. James immediately returned to being visible, and he fell into Perses, unconscious. The collision caused the villain, and his weapon, to fall to the ground. Upon impact, the power-robbing weapon was destroyed, and Perses' power was drained in the mini-explosion as well. _

_Simultaneously, Barron Battle was being hit by long ice blasts from two different heroes. The ice blasts trapped him in an ice block three times the size of the villain's stature. Once the villains saw what had happened to their leader, they fled. Sirens could be heard in the distance and the heroes let out a cheer. Barron Battle had been defeated!_

_Gaila Starr congratulated the Commander and Jetstream on a battle well done before looking around the crowd for any sign of her husband. When she couldn't find him, panic rose in her chest. She whirled around in every direction, sending her power out like fingers to sense his, but she found nothing. She raced to the last place that she knew him to be, and pulled up short when she saw the broken ray gun. Her eyes fell on the unconscious form of her husband and she let out a cry of disbelief. _

_All of the cheers in the park ceased as the heroes felt Gaila's pain and sorrow projected throughout the park. It was nearly suffocating, the air was thick with it, but Gaila didn't care. She knew that from then on out, her life would be completely different…_

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note:**

Wow! I have just effectively doubled the word count on this story with one chapter! I hope you guys like it! It is _definitely_ my favorite chapter in this story so far!

So now you know the story of what happened to Kailey's dad and Warren's mom. I hope that answers a few questions…and momentarily placates the wanting for action… ;) More is to come, don't worry. It's just about to kick into high gear.

Oh, I also hope you liked the length of the chapter…I'm working on trying to get all of my chapters to this length.

Thank you for all of your reviews, and keep it up! Hope you liked it!


	6. Aftermath

Part Five  
_Aftermath_

Kailey sank back into the rolling chair as she tried to take it all in. She had definitely gotten the details that she had been wanting and, if it hadn't been her family in the story getting their lives torn into a million tiny pieces, she would have been on the edge of her seat crying, "More! More!" As it was, it _had_ been her family…and she didn't dare.

"Kailey?" Will asked quietly, setting a hand on her shoulder. Kailey's eyes widened at the touch and she blinked rapidly, trying to force the images of the battle out of her head.

"So that was…" The girl began.

"_The_ fight. Your parents helped us stop Barron Battle. It was their sacrifice, your father's selflessness, that won it that night for the forces of good," Josie finished, her eyes taking on a haunted quality.

"And I'm guessing that it was Barron Battle that commissioned the weapon," Kailey's eyes flittered back and forth between Josie and Steve, waiting for assent. Steve Stronghold finally nodded to her.

"Yes. It was Barron who ordered the weapon made, and it was your father that destroyed it," Steve Stronghold replied.

"So…what happened after that?"

Josie took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "All of our fallen heroes were taken to the hospital that we have hidden away…kind of like the supers did with Sky High. One by one, they all woke up. They had no powers when they woke, and most of them were discharged immediately. The only ones who remained unconscious were Justice and your father. When…Justice woke up, she just lost it. She started sobbing hysterically."

Josie looked at Steve for help explaining.

"She…went through some emotional therapy before she could go home to Warren and, well, you see how he turned out. His personality is just as dark as his father's," he finished.

Kailey shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, he's really moody and very brooding, but he has a long, dark road to travel before he turns into his father."

Will nodded in agreement as he defended his friend. "Yeah, Dad. Warren's not all that bad."

Steve Stronghold responded to his son's defense of the pyrokinetic, but by then Kailey had already tuned them out. She felt the visions of the battle beginning to get the best of her, and Kailey stretched out her mind to the point that there was nothing but a staticky humming inside her head. She transformed that static into a series of short images of certain supers that she knew. Kailey and her mother called it 'touching,' and it was the mental exercise that they both used to center and focus themselves.

Kailey's first vision was of her mother, flipping through an old Sky High annual, rehashing the days gone by. Her second image was of her father, and she sent him a smile. She saw him look up toward the ceiling of the room, as if he could see her floating above him, and smile as well. Finally, Kailey found her way to Warren Peace. The sight of him busing tables in a Chinese restaurant made her smile even wider. What were the odds that she'd have fallen in love, or at least developed a good case of lust, within twenty-four hours of meeting the guy? And even after the huge crash-and-burn conversation that she'd tried to have at lunch? She shook her head at the thought. No way. Love at first sight did _not_ exist.

"Kailey?" Josie Stronghold narrowed her eyes at the girl, and Kailey shook her head to clear the last remaining hint of the connection from her mind. "Are you all right?"

Josie looked at her worriedly, and Kailey nodded in response. "I'm all right. I just…I felt uneven. I had to center myself."

Mrs. Stronghold nodded at the girl. "It's all right. I was just wondering if you were hungry. Layla said something about the Paper Lantern earlier and it sounded good to me. What do you think? Girls' night out?" She raised an eyebrow in suggestion.

Kailey opened her mouth to reply and thought about what she would say. Did she like Chinese food? No. Did she really want to hang out with Will's mother and the other female sidekicks? She might as well. It would do well for her to get to know them a bit better. Kailey thought about her friends throughout her years in school, and realized that she had only really hung out with the male half of the species.

Boys were simpler to get along with…most times. They didn't get angsty, and they spoke their minds without sugar-coating things. If she decided to be girly, they would just leave her alone to get over her issues. She favored that arrangement.

Kailey looked at Mrs. Stronghold and smiled. "All right. I'm not all that hungry, but I could go for a good fortune cookie." Josie's smile returned to radiant as she stood and helped the girl to her feet.

"Let's go then," Josie winked at Kailey and turned to her husband with an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, hun."

Steve shrugged. "It's all right. Have a good time with the girls."

Will smiled. "Besides, it'll give us a chance to have that _Halo_ tournament on my X-Box…"

"X-Box?" Josie inquired, a confused look on her face. "When did you get an X-Box…?"

"Have fun, Josie," Steve interrupted, taking her by the arm and leading her over to the exit of the Secret Sanctum.

Steve pressed his hand into a palm reader on the white-washed wall and, when the reader beeped its approval, a panel moved backward into the wall before sliding open to reveal a narrow stairwell. Kailey enthusiastically ran for the exit and dashed up a few steps, smiling back down at the Strongholds. She waved Josie on, and the woman took a small step forward.

"Go on, Josie. You don't want to get there after the crowd," Steve nodded at her. Josie looked back at Kailey who was bouncing on the steps and couldn't hold in a laugh.

"All right," she planted a kiss on her husband's cheek before motioning Kailey up the steps. "Kailey, go round up Layla and Magenta and make sure they're ready to go. I'll be right behind you."

Kailey nodded and took the stairs two at a time as Josie stepped into the stairwell. Just after Josie had set foot on the first step of the exit stairwell, the panel whooshed closed behind her.

Josie Stronghold sighed as she made her way up the steps slowly, giving herself time to think. She was getting the feeling that Kailey was developing, at the least, a crush on Warren Peace. It was somewhat of a feat considering they had just met earlier today and hadn't really gotten off to a great start conversationally. Tonight would serve as the litmus test for her theory. If there were sparks there, well…they'd just have to wait and see. She knew that Will had cooled Warren down quite a bit and made him more sociable. The pyro _had_ been over to their house several times since last year's homecoming, but Josie still saw him as a little too rough around the edges. She was positive that it would take a girl to file those edges down. What's more, she was positive that it would take a girl like Kailey.

* * *

When Josie Stronghold and the girls pulled into the parking lot at the Paper Lantern, there were already a good amount of vehicles there.

"Ugh. The six o'clock rush," Magenta muttered from the backseat behind Layla as she flung herself back in the seat and patted her rumbling stomach. Kailey gave her a half-annoyed half-amused look. Magenta just shrugged and smiled.

"There's one! On the left!" Layla pointed out from the front passenger seat, and Josie navigated her powder blue Eclipse into the empty slot. As soon as the car was in park, Layla's door swung open. Layla folded out of the sports car gracefully, and let the seat forward to help Magenta out of the backseat. The girl dressed in purple-and-black punk nearly launched herself from the vehicle and, latching onto Layla's wrist, made for the door as fast as she could.

Kailey was barely folding out of the back of the car herself when the front door of the restaurant dinged closed. Kailey was, however, able to catch a glance of the look on Layla's face as she removed herself from the backseat. Layla's panicked expression, combined with her free arm flailing in the air behind her, couldn't keep the telekinetic from laughing. It was hard for Josie to hold her laughter in as well as she closed and locked up her car.

"Now _that_," Kailey laughed, "was priceless!"

Josie nodded in agreement as she fought her own laughter. "And, knowing Magenta, odds are that they'll be seated by the time we walk in the door."

Sure enough, when Kailey and Josie entered the establishment, Layla and Magenta were being seated. Magenta and Layla were waving them over as they walked around the seating podium in the foyer of the restaurant, and Kailey caught Josie's eye as they walked toward the table.

"Good call," Kailey laughed as she slid into the booth beside Magenta. Josie slid into the booth opposite the high school students to sit beside Layla. Josie picked up the restaurant's menu and began looking it over before the move was even the beginning of a thought in Kailey's mind. A glance around the table made Kailey realize that she was a bit behind the crowd, so she picked up the menu and ran her eyes over the text to find that she didn't even have a clue as to what half of the items were.

Her eyes might have been on the menu, but Kailey found her mind drifting father and farther away. She thought back to her focusing exercise when she had touched her father, and extended her mind again to find him. Once again, she saw him lying in his hospital bed, strapped down to keep him from struggling. She fought to keep her tears at bay, and then she thought of Warren's mother, Justice. She supposedly had no power as well, but Kailey found her instantly. As she brought her mind back to her present location, Kailey frowned. If they had no power, then Kailey shouldn't have been able to see them. _Right?_

"Mrs. Stronghold?" she inquired quietly, but immediately regretted the decision to speak up in public. Not only had she set herself up to be eavesdropped upon, she had interrupted the happy conversation going on about her. Kailey sent Layla an apologetic look for cutting her off mid-sentence, and the red head just smiled, as if she was thinking something that Kailey really didn't want to hear. Kailey shook off the odd feeling that the look gave her and continued in an even lower tone. "Are you absolutely positive that my dad's powers were taken away?"

Josie started at the abruptness of the question. "W…_what_?"

"Earlier, while we were…" Kailey cast a quick eye about the room to make sure no one was watching or listening in before she continued. "While we were _talking_, and I had to center myself, I saw you and Mr. Stronghold. I saw everyone upstairs. More specifically, I touched on my mother, and even found Warren busing tables. But more importantly, I touched my father. I think he even felt me in his head because he smiled at me.

"I guess my question," she continued, "is…if he has no powers, why am I able to locate him. I can only find supers, not normal, powerless individuals. How could I have seen him, if his powers no longer exist?"

Josie's jaw worked up and down for a moment, and Layla toyed with the paper ring that held her napkin around her silverware as her eyes went back and forth between Josie and Kailey. Josie, however, was unable to produce an answer.

"Ah…Kailey, I think that is a question for your mother to answer, not me. I don't know anything about those sort of powers," she whispered in reply. "I'm sorry."

Kailey slumped back in her seat and nodded just as the waitress came up to their table to get their orders.

Josie and Magenta both ordered sweet-and-sour chicken with rice and ice waters, Layla took vegetable lo-mein and an order of egg rolls with water to drink, which left Kailey as the last to order. The girl looked at the menu in despair.

"Um…can I just get a side of rice and…I'll try some vegetable lo-mein as well..," Kailey trailed off, hoping the meal would be worth eating.

"To drink?" the waitress, whose name badge read 'Candace,' inquired, her pen poised on the tablet in front of her.

"Pepsi?"

The waitress nodded and scribbled something on her order ticket before muttering something unintelligible and turning and walking back to the kitchen to turn in their order. Kailey did her best to ignore the piteous look she received from Layla. The girl must have realized that Kailey hated Chinese food by what she ordered. She would be surprised if no one else in the building made that deduction by the end of the evening.

Kailey was distracted from her train of thought by a snicker from beside her. She gazed over at Magenta who was trying to cover her mouth and her laughter.

"Well," Magenta chuckled. "If you don't like your job…"

Layla shot her a look.

"What? I was just saying…"

Josie cocked her head at the girl. "Be nice."

Magenta shrugged. "All right…I'll drop it." She held up her hands in surrender.

A blur of dark color to her left made Kailey turn her head.

"Uh oh. Warren's working," Magenta smirked as evil thoughts danced through her brain. She turned in her seat, ready to pounce on him as he walked by.

Kailey arched an eyebrow as she watched him work. She noted how the muscles in his back rippled underneath his tight, black bleach-stained t-shirt as he wiped the top of the table down in circular motions. She took in the way his hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, but how some unruly strands of his dark locks escaped the rubber band that he'd used to hold them in place. Those same strands of hair, she noticed, were the bits that were streaked with red dye, and tucked behind his ears to keep them back from his face.

She turned around so that he wouldn't catch her watching him when the waitress returned with their drinks and Layla's egg rolls. As soon as the waitress left, however, Kailey watched Magenta out of the corner of her eye making faces at him. Layla had a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Kailey turned back to look at him with an amused smile on her face, and caught him shooting a death glare at the girl over her shoulder and couldn't restrain her giggle. Warren began to turn back to his work, but stopped in his tracks as their eyes met. Kailey felt herself blush a bit as he paused his motions to watch her. Kailey ducked her head a bit, but her eyes remained locked with Warren's. She watched as the corner of his mouth twitched in the beginning of a smile, but vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. The pyrokinetic returned to his task of clearing the table and lifted the grey dish tub from the vinyl seat of the booth.

Warren walked toward their table, and just before she thought that she would be in his hearing range, Kailey began looking around the restaurant.

"Um, where's the restroom in this place?"

Warren was passing their table when she poised the question and he glanced at her as if measuring her up. He shortened his stride to answer her question, "The hallway next to the kitchen. Turn left."

His answer was abrupt and jerky, leaving Layla's mouth hanging open, the answer on the tip of her tongue, and Josie with a content smile on her face. He quickly left the dining area and disappeared into the kitchen. As soon as he was out of sight, Kailey excused herself. She snuck a peek through the kitchen window as she passed by and then scurried into the restroom.

Kailey quickly checked her appearance in the large bathroom mirror and ran some water in the sink. She plunged her fingers into the running cold water and brought them out dripping wet to run through her hair. The action added a bit of volume, and tamed the static in her dark auburn locks. She traced her fingers over her eyelids lightly, taking care not to dislodge her contacts, and smoothed out the eye shadow that had bunched up in the creases. Kailey fluffed the hair on the top of her head one more time before pausing with the perpetrating hand in mid-air. She leaned against the metal stall adjacent to the sinks and asked herself why she was primping. Warren, most likely, hated her after that episode at lunch where she'd managed to not only fit one foot into her mouth, but two. He had good reason to hate her. She wouldn't want to be compared to his father either.

Kailey sighed and pushed herself away from the cool, red metal. She fought the urge to put her hair up into a ponytail to forget about the static as she pulled the bathroom door open and stepped out. Her eyes traced the black tile on the floor as she walked, but stopped short when they came to a pair of black Chucks against the wall across from her. She raised her eyes up the length of the frame and her jaw fell open as she locked eyes with the individual. For the second time inside of ten minutes, Kailey held eye contact with Warren Peace.

"You following me, Starr?" He pushed himself off of the wall with one foot as he spoke, his voice low. The low tone, coupled with his already deep voice, gave his words the edge of a growl. The girl gave him a weak smile in attempt to recover from her shock. For some reason, Kailey liked his voice like that.

She shook her head. "How could I be following you if I didn't know you worked here? Besides, coming here was Mrs. Stronghold's idea."

Warren shrugged as he moved closer, and leaned into the wall next to her. The nearness of his six-foot-three frame made Kailey swallow nervously and press herself as close to the wall as she could. He sensed her discomfort and lifted her chin with the knuckle of his index finger.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Starr. I promise," He whispered to her, his eyes revealing a touch of hurt. Kailey hardly saw the look in his eyes, however. She shuddered from the feel of his breath on her cheek. He leaned back a bit as the look faded. "But you don't need to come back here. I don't need anyone nipping at my heels."

He turned to walk away, and Kailey huffed.

"How _dare_ you!" she forced the angry words to come out in a whisper. "I just spent the last few hours finding out the _truth_ about what happened with my father, and you do the equivalent of calling me a _stalker_!"

Kailey clutched her head as a headache suddenly began dancing behind her forehead. Was this _really _happening? Surely not…

"What did you just say?" he growled as he pinned her against the wall again.

_'Okay,'_ Kailey thought. _'Maybe it is.'_

She glared up at him venomously as the headache continued to tap dance around her cranium. '_Please,' _she thought. _'Make it stop!'_

"You know, that's a good look for you," Warren told her, trying his hardest not to laugh out of spite. "I think that glare would work on just about anyone…_but me_."

"You heard what I said. The Strongholds told me what happened, and I came here on the off-chance that you would be here so we could start over. Talk about the biggest mistake ever…" she grumbled, trying to wrestle out of his grip.

He pushed her back up against the wall. "How would you know where I work?"

She nearly laughed. "I'm nearly a telempath, remember? I can see you from a distance."

Warren leaned back from her and released her from the hold he had on her. He let out a sound that resembled a growl as he sized her up. "Meet me at lunch tomorrow. On the wall," his eyes narrowed. "You're going to tell me everything."

Kailey shrugged away from him and rubbed her temples. His 'I-can-beat-you' attitude was beginning to wear her thin. "All you have to do is ask, you know. You don't always have to threaten people."

The corners of Warren's mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile or a grimace as he turned and walked back toward the kitchen. "Maybe I do," he muttered as he walked through the swinging doors.

Kailey stayed against the wall for a moment, trying to catch her breath and rid herself of her pounding headache before returning to the table. Once she thought that she had regained her composure enough to stand on her own and hold decent conversation, she made her way back. Magenta looked up at Kailey as she walked, evil intentions sparkling in her eyes. Kailey simply smiled at her like nothing was wrong.

"So…how was '_the bathroom?'_" Magenta inquired, putting extra emphasis and finger quotations around "the bathroom."

"Oh, you know…four walls, couple of toilets and a pair of sinks. A _bathroom_," Kailey attempted to make a diagram with her hands as she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. The tone in her voice elicited a laugh from the girl in purple as their food arrived. The waitress put their plates down in front of each of them and inquired if they would need anything else before retreating back to the safety of the kitchen.

"Kailey," Layla's eyes danced to the kitchen's swinging door. "I think Warren likes you."

Kailey raised her eyes from her food and looked at Layla as if she'd grown a second head. "No way. I highly doubt that Warren Peace likes _anyone_."

"Besides," Magenta teased, "he does keep running from her."

Kailey turned an annoyed expression to her. "Ha. Ha," she drawled slowly, turning each letter into its own syllable. Both Layla and Josie shot Magenta slightly disapproving looks, to which the girl simply shrugged. Kailey looked down at her rice and noodles and began playing with her food, rather than eating it. Every so often, Kailey would bring the utensil to her mouth to take a bite, but otherwise she was preoccupied.

She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice a pair of chocolate brown eyes watching her from the shadows in the doorway to the kitchen. They shared a tragic past, his mother and her father, and they had suffered nearly the same fate. _He_ felt as if the most tragic element of the whole thing was that his mother was still, in some twisted way, in love with his father.

Shouldn't it be illegal for a hero to fall for a villain? If he was going to go by that virtue, then he really needed to concentrate on controlling his emotions. There was no telling what it would take for him to turn rogue. He feared that he was far too close to that already. But certainly it would be just as taboo for a villain to fall for a hero. He shook his head. What were his parents thinking?

"Warren?" A soft voice came from behind him. Even the people he worked with were cautious around him, sensing that he was a person with a volatile nature. They were especially cautious when catching him in a reverie. He turned his head to the girl who had been serving Mrs. Stronghold's table and gave her a small semblance of a smile.

"What is it, Candace?"

She gave him an apologetic look before continuing. "It's the end of my shift and you're the only one here to cover my section until Jake gets back at seven-thirty. Can you watch the tables for me so I don't have to stay late again?" Candace knew that Warren hated to wait tables, but she'd been told that she couldn't stay late again this week…she was already drawing overtime.

Warren just shrugged. "Yeah. I heard Vicki giving you a hard time earlier. Be careful going home." He watched as the girl let out a breath she probably hadn't realized that she was holding.

"Thanks a lot, Warren. I owe you," she smiled as she walked into the employee break room to gather her things. When she came back out, Warren held his hand out to her.

"I'll need your order tickets before you go…and Candace?"

Candace handed him her black leather book full of her orders after removing her tips from the vinyl pocket. She looked up at him, curiosity filling her eyes.

"You need to tell Jake to take his break when he's scheduled to, or not at all. We won't have this problem if he would live by the rules like the rest of us," Warren finished as he slipped the black book into the front pocket of his apron. A quick glance at the young Asian girl revealed a bit of intimidation on her face. Warren sighed. "Or you can come to me and I'll take care of it."

Her face brightened up. "Thanks, Warren! I'll let you know if he does it again."

"_When_, Candace," Warren corrected. "Not _if._ You and I both know that he'll do it again." Warren gave her a stern look, and she nodded.

"Thanks…You're the greatest," she gave him a genuine smile as she opened the back door of the restaurant and closed it after her.

"No problem," he spoke quietly to the closed door. _'Besides,'_ he thought to himself. _'It'll make me be social.'_

* * *

Kailey was the last to finish her meal, but none of the others seemed to care. They chit-chatted around her, involving her when they could get her attention. 

"All right, where's the check?" Magenta inquired aloud.

Kailey looked around at the mostly-empty dining area and checked her watch. Nearly seven-thirty. She then fished around in her purse and pulled out a ten-dollar bill, which Josie shooed away.

"It's all right. I've got it this time," Josie smiled, and the three girls showered her with thanks.

"You guys ready for the check?" all chattering stopped immediately as every pair of eyes at the table shifted to Warren Peace standing at the head of their table, meal ticket in hand.

"What happened to the waitress?" Magenta inquired. "I don't think that I've ever seen you waiting tables, Warren."

He shrugged. "I don't do it often. Candace got off at six-thirty. I'm sorry it took me so long to check on you, things got crazy in the back."

Kailey darted a glance up at him, which he returned with a small smile.

"Thank you, Warren," Josie smiled at him. "I'll take it."

"Do you want it split up?" he asked as he handed over the slip of paper for inspection.

Josie's eyes played over the printed words as she pulled out her checkbook. "No, thank you. I've got it."

Warren nodded as he pulled four fortune cookies out of the other pocket of his apron. He set one down in front of each of the girls, and let his fingers linger a moment over the one he had set down in front of Kailey. She glanced up at him questioningly and he removed his hand. He gave her a nod and looked back at the wrapped cookie. Kailey's eyes followed his and noticed that one end was already open. She slid the cookie out of the plastic wrap and hoped that no one would notice.

"I'll take care of that whenever you're ready," Warren glanced at Kailey's cookie when he said it, and Josie pushed her check toward Warren.

"There, you split that tip with, ah, Candi, was it?" She crinkled her eyebrows trying to recall the waitress' name.

"Candace," Warren corrected with a nod. "Yes, ma'am. I will. Thanks for coming in."

Warren flashed the table a smile before he turned to check on another table of customers. Kailey smiled as she bit into her cookie. As it broke in the middle, Kailey found two slips of paper.

"Layla, what does yours say?" Josie inquired as she chewed her cookie. Layla held up a finger as she finished her cookie before she picked up the slip of paper.

"_'You have firm convictions, stand strong behind them.'_" She smiled. "I like that."

Josie nodded and then looked at Magenta. The girl in purple sighed as she lifted up the slip of paper to read it. "_'Your flamboyant personality will soon bring you to a new hobby.'_ Well, I guess flamboyant is one way to describe my personality," she snickered. All eyes turned to Kailey.

Kailey lifted her pieces of paper as the crowd at the table looked at her expectantly. Her eyes dropped to the first slip of paper and widened. She used her ability to crumple the note into her hand and began to read her real fortune. "Ah…_'The fruit of the soul is derived from love.'_"

"What does yours say, Mrs. Stronghold?" Layla inquired, leaning in to take a peek of her slip.

"Good shall triumph over evil," Josie Stronghold looked up with a sly smile on her face.

Magenta gave her a cross look. "That is _so_ not what it says!"

Josie shrugged. "Well, it sounds a lot better than _'Something on four wheels will soon be a fun investment for you,'_" She stood and the rest of the girls followed suit. Kailey let everyone else walk ahead of her and snuck a glance at Warren who was cleaning off a nearby table.

He felt her watching him and caught her stare. Warren's mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile and Kailey gave him a slightly-embarrassed on in return before breaking the gaze. She followed the rest of the girls out the door. On the way to the car, Kailey unwadded the slip of paper and read it silently to herself. The message was written in a half-hurried scrawl.

_'Meet me here at close. 9PM. I'll be waiting. –WP'_

"Kailey!" Layla called out happily as she held the door open for her. "Let's get back so we can work on that homework!"

Kailey nodded and thrust the scrap of paper into the pocket of her jeans, before jogging the rest of the way to the car.

_"Hopefully,"_ she thought. _"nine PM will come soon."_


	7. Seize the Night

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I really appreciate it. It really means a lot to know that people actually like what I'm doing with this fandom. :D Bunches of hugs to everyone!

Also - This chapter was originally going to be about 20 pages in MS Word, so I decided to cut it in half. The end of this chapter seemed like a good place to leave it...and the other half will be up VERY soon as Part Seven. So...with no further ado, here is Chapter 6!

Read, Review, Enjoy!

--Rayvin813

* * *

Part Six  
Seize the Night

Kailey had no idea how she'd gotten away from the Stronghold house alone. When she had announced her intention to leave, Steve had insisted that Will fly her home. Josie had pulled him aside and whispered something in his ear, to which the elder Stronghold had beamed and practically shooed Kailey out of the front door. What it was that she'd whispered, Kailey didn't know and wasn't sure that she wanted to. Was Josie Stronghold orchestrating the whole thing between her and Warren? Or was Kailey just imagining things?

Kailey stuffed her hands into her pockets as she walked back toward the Paper Lantern and tried to ignore the stiff breeze that was going straight through her shirt. The Chinese restaurant had been a five-minute drive from the Stronghold's home, so Kailey figured on a fifteen-minute jog down the quiet streets of Maxville. What she hadn't counted on was the hard, cold breeze or the fact that she would tire out after the first five minutes of her venture. Slowly, she pulled her left hand from her pocket and brought her watch up to read the time. Five till nine.

The telekinetic cursed herself, and the asthma that she suffered from, as she began jogging again. She knew that the only way that she would overcome her on-again, off-again condition was to exercise daily, but she always found some excuse to avoid an exercise routine. She made her decision then to develop a regimen and stick to it.

It was five after nine when Kailey made it to the darkened restaurant and dropped to her rear on the front steps. She cursed herself again when she rose and tugged on the front door of the restaurant to find it locked. Had he left without her?

"You're late," A rumbling bass came from behind her.

Kailey gasped for air and looked at him apologetically. "Sorry," she panted, and Warren looked at her closely. She thought that she saw a hint of worry, but the streetlight above them flickered, and when the light returned the look was gone.

"Are you all right?" He asked, no emotion tainting his voice. His eyes narrowed at her, however, as he took a step closer and she collapsed in a heap back onto the steps.

She shrugged as she pulled her purse onto her lap and began fumbling through it, searching for her yellow inhaler. "Will be," she half-whispered as she shook the inhaler violently to agitate the aerosol medication, before administering herself two puffs. She held her breath for ten seconds after each one, and then leaned back onto her elbows to pull the much-needed air into her lungs.

Warren watched her treat herself and lean backward to catch her breath. The pyrokinetic picked up her backpack and plucked her purse from her lap before helping her to her feet. "You have asthma?" He looked at her curiously.

She nodded and laid a hand on the red brick of the building for support. "I am human," she wheezed. "Just…a super one."

Warren nodded and led her around to the rear of the building. He pulled open the back door to the restaurant and held it open for her as she entered.

"Employee lounge is the first door on your left," he stated as he walked along behind her, toting her things. He motioned for her to go in and, had she the strength, she would have protested. At the moment, however, she was shaking nearly uncontrollably from the medication, and her legs were begging her for rest, threatening to buckle at the knees from the earlier physical exertion. Needless to say, she complied.

"Do you need something to drink?" he inquired politely, setting her things down in a corner of the small lounge.

She nodded and took a quivering breath. Finding that she was able to breathe a bit more freely, she smiled. "Water?"

He nodded. "I'll be right back."

Kailey sighed at the sight of the leather couch and sank into its cushions as he left. She laid back, concentrating on her breathing, with her arm over her eyes to block out the light. '_In. Out. In. Out,'_ she told herself.

"Starr?"

Kailey removed her arm from her face and looked toward the doorway. In one hand, Warren held a glass of ice water and in the other he held his black leather jacket. She sat up and accepted the glass of water happily. She took a long drink and saw Warren set the jacket down on the arm of the couch out of the corner of her eye.

She set the glass off to the side and looked at him appreciatively. "Thanks, Warren."

He shrugged and motioned toward the jacket. "Just thought you might want something to rest your head on."

"Thank you," she said again as she picked up the jacket, folded it over itself and leaned it up against the not-so-puffy arm of the couch. She leaned back against him and gave Warren a grateful smile.

"I've got a few things to finish up out front…we had some late customers. I'll be done soon. You can wait here for me if you want," he explained.

Kailey nodded. "Go ahead, but I have to be home by eleven…"

"I'll be done in about fifteen minutes."

She nodded again, "Okay," she replied as Warren turned and left the room, heading for the dining area. Kailey sighed and ran her hands through her auburn hair, tugging on the ends.

"What am I _doing_ here?" she asked herself aloud as she leaned back into the leather jacket. A soft scent of leather and cologne wafted up to her in answer, and Kailey smiled. "_That's_ what I'm doing here."

She laughed to herself and rose from the rust orange couch, testing her footing. Point! She could stand without falling over! Kailey thanked God for fast-acting inhalers and walked to the doorway of the lounge, looking down the hallway in the direction that Warren had gone. Faintly, she heard singing in the dining area and followed the sound quietly. When she reached the dining room, she saw Warren wiping down a table and tapping a foot to the beat of the song.

"You've got a great voice, Peace." She called quietly from across the room. Warren whirled around, his eyes wide and one hand in mid air. Kailey held up her hands in surrender. "Whoa! Ease down there, Pyro," she half-smiled.

He gave her a cross look as he lowered his right hand and turned back to his task. Kailey pushed herself away from the door facing and walked over to the table next to Warren.

"You want some help?"

"If you want," he shrugged. "You don't like Chinese food, do you?"

Kailey had to steel herself to keep from laughing at the abruptness, and correctness, of the question. "Not at _all_…why do you ask?"

"You didn't eat very much at all. I seem to recall that the only thing that you touched was the rice."

"Warren Peace! Were you spying on me at dinner?" Kailey teased. She gave him a wink and nearly got a smile in return.

"Not _spying_...," his voice held an amused quality, as if he were trying not to laugh. "It's just…_paying attention_."

"RIGHT…," Kailey replied with a laugh, drawing out the 'I' unnecessarily long for emphasis. "I _completely_ believe you."

Warren smiled at her, and it was a genuine smile.

"But, you're right, I can't stand it," she confessed with a shrug. Warren gave her a satisfied smile and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Then why'd you come?"

Kailey gave him a _'duh'_ look. "What do you think?"

"Let me guess…you were hoping that a certain good-looking bus boy would be working," he replied, stretching to show off the muscles in his chest.

Kailey laughed as she placed half-eaten plates of food into the grey tub. "Something like that. Although, the 'extremely good looking' bit _may _not apply here."

Warren shoved Kailey gently and she let out a squeal followed by a hearty laugh. Kailey's laugh died down as she watched Warren's walls be built back up around him as he sank back into himself, shielding all hint of emotion from her. He was silent as he continued cleaning the table, but turned back to her a moment later.

"How do you do it?" Warren's words were in question form, but there was a demanding tone in his voice. Kailey decided to shrug it off. Things were going well and she didn't want to start a fight.

"Do what?" She asked innocently.

"_This_," he motioned between them. "How do you get me to open up this much to you? You, Stronghold and the Hippie…you all have it."

Kailey thought he sounded as if he was being strained. By what, she didn't know. "It's called being friendly," she replied.

He shook his head as he lifted the grey tub and turned to walk it into the back of the restaurant. "That's not it."

Kailey watched as he disappeared around the corner and turned to wipe the table down with the bleach water mix and rag that he'd left behind. A rumble of plastic on tile started up behind her shortly as Warren wheeled the yellow bucket of fresh cleaning water and the mop through the dining area and into the foyer of the establishment.

"It's like you bring out whatever piece of my mother I have in me…her, well, _peace_, for lack of a better term," he continued their conversation as if he'd never walked away as he drained the mop of its excess water in the press attached to the yellow bucket and proceeded to mop the entryway. Kailey wiped down the red pleather seats of the booth and looked up at the pyrokinetic.

"Is that a bad thing?" She inquired, suddenly wondering if there was a rift between he and his mother like he seemed to have placed in between himself and everyone else in the world. He obviously didn't open up to anyone without a fight, internal or external.

He opened his mouth to reply, thought about his response, and then closed it with a sigh. The two were silent as they continued cleaning and, once Kailey had finished with wiping tables, booths and chairs, she deposited the rag into the bleach water before venturing to the restroom. Once inside, she washed the bleach off of her hands to keep it from digging into her too-sensitive skin. It was one of the main reasons she refused to work in a restaurant of any sort; even a one to ten cleaning solution was too strong for her bare skin.

When she returned, she took a seat on one of the benches closest to the hallway to the restrooms and employee lounge and watched Warren curiously. He stood silently, leaning on the handle of the mop for support. He was nearly back to the tables that she had wiped down and appeared to be on edge and deeply immersed in thought.

"Warren?" She whispered his name, but he still jumped. He went back to mopping the floor, and was right in front of her before she knew it. Kailey stood to move out of his way, but he was too quick for her. Warren gathered her at her waist, lifted her from the floor and set her back down in the hallway behind them so that she wouldn't have to step precariously around the wet floor. Or that's what she told herself.

She took a step backward with each step backward that he took, and Kailey thought that is must have looked like a kind of odd silent dance. She pressed herself flush against the carpeted wall for the second time that evening, this time to let Warren pass her if he needed to. Instead of passing her, he made a right turn into the kitchen. Moments later, Kailey removed herself from the wall and heard the sloshing of the water being dumped out of the mop bucket.

Deciding that Warren was nearly finished, she retreated to the employee lounge to retrieve her things. Kailey made room in her backpack for her purse so that she would have one less thing to carry around, and folded Warren's leather jacket over her arm as she sat back down on the couch to wait. She checked her watch. 9:45. She knew she needed to get home soon, but hung her head at the thought of leaving already. Why? She honestly didn't know. She and Warren were nearly to the point of erupting into flames of a different sort, and honestly, she didn't want to be anywhere near the imploding situation if she could help it. No matter how much her mind contested, she still felt compelled to stay. She hung her head at her internal admission, only to be surprised by a figure standing in the doorway.

"Ready?" Warren's voice cut through her thoughts as if they were butter, and her eyes floated up to see him leaning against the door facing, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down on her.

"Sure," Kailey replied as she stood and slung her backpack over one shoulder. She took a couple of steps toward the doorway and held Warren's jacket out to him. "I believe this is yours."

"Thanks," he accepted the jacket and slipped it on silently. After a short silence, he motioned for her to follow him. "The employee lot is around the back."

Warren turned and left the room, intending for him to follow her down the hall to the back door. Once they were outside, he locked up the building's rear entrance and walked over to a red and black motorcycle. It was mostly a glossy black, with bright red rims and a red translucent windshield. The decals on the gas tank were also a bright, bold red, proclaiming the bike to be a Buell.

Kailey paused as she watched him throw one leg over the side of the motorcycle. Warren kick-started the bike and revved the engine, creating a low rumble that was music to Kailey's ears. There was just one problem. She was rooted in place on the asphalt. Warren looked back to find the girl looking scared out of her mind. He waved her over as the engine idled down, and Kailey took a few reluctant steps over to him.

Warren looked at her expectantly.

"I...I've never ridden a motorcycle before," she explained as the slipped the other strap of the backpack over her shoulder and pulled them tight. She fidgeted nervously with the loose straps as Warren looked at her. He smiled and put the kickstand down as he got off of the bike and extended his hand to the frightened girl. Kailey placed her hand in his and and looked up at him with a fearful expression.

"Do you want help getting on?"

Kailey looked at the motorcycle and then back to Warren, "Maybe."

She walked up to the bike and attempted to sling her leg over the leather seat as Warren had done. She couldn't quite make it, fearing that she would burn herself on whatever hot portions of the engine might have been exposed. Kailey tottered on her left foot as she attempted to bring her right foot back down to the asphalt. She let out a girlish squeal as a pair of strong hands seized her waist and lifted her up and onto the motorcycle.

"Don't touch the exhaust pipes," he warned as he held Kailey in place until she was settled. "You set?" he asked when she stopped squirming on the back half of the seat.

Kailey nodded, but tensed as she felt Warren's steadying hands leave her sides. She swayed as he straddled the bike once again, and he reached one arm behind him to grip her elbow. She stilled immediately and he turned his head to speak to her over his shoulder.

"Put your arms around my waist and old on tight. We're only going about a block to the park, and I'll teach you there how to ride. I don't think you'll need a helmet, but there's one on the back of the bike if you want one," he informed her. Kailey nodded in understanding as she shifted nervously on the back half of the leather seat.

Without warning, Warren released her arm and shifted the motorcycle's weight to his right leg so that he could fold the kickstand up. Kailey let out another one of those girly _Eep! _noises as he did so, and latched onto Warren's waist for support. The sudden weight change caused Warren to become off-balance as well, and he shifted the new weight as quickly as he could to keep the motorcycle from tipping over. He placed both of his feet on the ground to keep it level.

Kailey's arms were latched around Warren's waist as if she were clinging to him for dear life, and the side of her face was nearly painted on the back of his leather jacket. Warren reached down and placed a hand over her own quivering pair.

"Kailey?" he tried quietly, and he felt her head shift against his back. At least he'd gotten a reaction.

Kailey's ears had perked up at the sound of her name. She didn't think that he called anyone by their first names. She raised her head from his back and leaned her chin against it lightly instead, only because she couldn't reach his shoulder. He patted her clasped hands in a silent plea for release, and she unclasped her fingers.

"Sorry," she muttered as she felt heat crawl up her face in a rush.

Warren sat up a bit straighter, flexing the muscles that had tightened in his back, and once he was settled, Kailey moved back in against him.

"We're only going a block or so," he said again as he pushed off with his feet, trying to help give Kailey time to adjust to the ride difference between a motorcycle and a car. "Just hang on. I'll go slowly so you can get a feel for it. It's all about balance and feeling how you have to shift your weight."

When Warren finally pressed the gas down, Kailey tensed up again and tightened her arms around his waist. She buried her face in his back again and once she realized that she wasn't going to fall off, she relaxed. She loosened her grip on his waist as he drove down a residential street at an easy pace. Kailey used Warren as a shield from the wind and the bugs that she might have collected as they went along and, hunkered down behind the pyrokinetic, she watched the houses go past them. Before she knew it, the scenery had changed and Warren was pulling the motorcycle over to the curb.

"Balance yourself with me," he told her. "Hold onto my shoulders and shift your weight as I do mine."

Kailey's hands went instantly to his shoulders and when she felt him lean toward the left, she followed suit. When she felt him lean toward the curb on the other side, she moved as he did again. Once again, the bike was supported by the kickstand, and Kailey took a relieved breath.

"Now," Warren began, "I am going to teach you to get on and off."

He looked at her with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he killed the engine and held an arm out to the side for Kailey to use as leverage to lower herself to the ground. Warren followed her off and motioned for her to turn around.

"If I'm going to teach you the _right way_, then the backpack has to go. "

Kailey turned and let Warren slide his fingers under the straps on her shoulders and pull the backpack from her possession. She then turned back around as he set it on the sidewalk next to his motorcycle. Kailey ran a hand through her hair nervously, as Warren guided her over to the Buell again.

"This is a Buell Firebolt XB12R; it's my favorite out of their line of bikes, and believe me, it's a _lot_ easier to manage it than it looks," he told her as he walked past her, squeezing her shoulder for reassurance. He let the kickstand up again and looked at her as if he could will her to get up and onto the bike. Kailey swallowed her fear and walked over to him purposefully. She could do this...she could do this...

"The trick," he began, "is in the angle. Come over here and feel the weight of the bike first. That's the first thing that you have to master..."

Kailey smiled brightly as Warren went about teaching her, in slow detail, how to ride his monster of a motorcycle, completely oblivious that it took her an hour and fifteen minutes to master just mounting the bike.

It was fifteen minutes until eleven when Kailey heard her mother's voice reverberate through her mind. Kailey fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain. Warren was at her side instantly, his hands on her shoulders trying to figure out what was ailing her. He was asking her what was wrong, but Kailey couldn't hear it. All that she could hear were her mother's panicked projections. As soon as the pain dissipated, Kailey collapsed against Warren's chest and took in several shallow breaths in attempt to clear the mind-bending headache that always resulted from her mother's abilities.

"Have to...go...home," she panted, still trying hard to completely shield herself from her mother's anguish. Somewhere in the back of her mind Kailey wondered how her mother had managed to summon that much power. The girl felt as if she had been standing on the tracks while _several_ trains had slammed into her. "It's my mother...something's wrong."

Warren stood, pulled Kailey up after him and set her back on the motorcycle. He shoved a helmet at her as he rounded the motorcycle, and she pulled it on without question. Warren picked up Kailey's backpack and deposited it into her lap before leaping back onto the front of the bike and starting the engine with a quick flick of his wrist. Kailey slid the backpack back over her shoulders as Warren pulled his own sleek red and black helmet over his head. Two guesses what was on the helmet, and the first one doesn't count. Kailey traced her fingers over the slight ridge of the red flame decal and smiled. It fit him perfectly.

"Where are we going?" he inquired over his shoulder and the low rumble of the engine.

"1320 Meadowlark Lane," she shouted back, holding the helmet tight to her head. Warren smiled as her navigated the bike to face the other direction

"That's only two streets over from me. Hang on tight. I know a short cut," he replied as he punched the gas and sped off down the street. Kailey ducked behind him again, but this time she really did hold on for dear life. She looked down at the Buell's speedometer as Warren turned them down an alley. Kailey watched the needle rocket up from fifteen miles per hour to sixty in a matter of seconds, and felt a sensation as if she were flying. Despite the element of danger, or perhaps because of it, Kailey wanted to fling her hands up into the air as if she were riding a roller coaster.

She closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of the wind whipping past her face and through her hair as she inched her way out from behind her Warren-shield. She dared a look at her surroundings, and all that her eyes could make out were a series of blurs. The only constant was what was in front of the Buell. Kailey soon found a rhythm on the motorcycle that left her feeling as if she'd been riding motorcycles for years, instead of the last hour and a half.

Just as she began to get a feel for traveling at high rates of speed on the back of the bike, Warren called back to her over his shoulder.

"Hang on! We're almost there!"

Sure enough, she could see her house at the end of the street barreling toward them. Just when she thought that they would speed past it, Warren slammed on the brakes.

"Hang on!" he shouted as the bike screeched to a halt in front of her house, half-fishtailing when the skid ended. Kailey took several deep breaths to calm the pounding in her head and chest from the near-accident before propelling herself off of the bike backwards. Warren watched her in interest as she accomplished the stunt without even thinking about it. He hadn't ever been able to do that and look graceful on the landings. Watching Kailey do it, he chalked it up to his height. That had to be it, right?

Warren put the kickstand down as soon as Kailey was off the bike, and dismounted the bike himself as the girl was bounding up her front steps, taking them two at a time. Warren raced after her, and with his lengthened stride, he caught up with her just as she pulled the door open.

"Mom!" Kailey shouted as she ran inside and came to an abrupt halt just inside the entryway. She stopped so abruptly that Warren nearly ran into her from behind. His hands fell on her shoulders to steady himself and Kailey took a tentative step forward.

"Mom?" she tried again, but quietly this time. Gaila Starr hardly moved. She sat haphazardly on the couch in the living room, engrossed in a news bulletin on the television. Her hand was held over her mouth in disbelief as she turned, ever so slowly, to look at Kailey.

"It's happened," Gaila's voice came out in a whisper and Kailey flicked her eyes to the television.

"In case you're just joining us," the red-headed news anchor's voice came over the television, "there has been a break out from the Maxville Maximum Security Compound. As you all may be aware, this particular prison is used to house various criminals, as well as super villains..."

"Oh no..." Kailey's hands flew to her head. "Mom...who got out?"

Gaila turned and looked at Kailey and her companion warily before motioning back to the television. "Just watch."

Kailey's eyes went back to the television where a list of super villains' names had been posted. She ran her eyes over the list rapidly and blanched.

"Good Lord, help us all," she murmured as she cast her eyes up to Warren. If Kailey had been in the way of Warren's look, she might have melted in her shoes. "Warren?" she tried, and he turned his angry eyes to her before turning on his heel and storming out of the house. Kailey watched him go, and winced at the sound of the screen door banging against the white aluminum siding of her house of her house. Kailey looked back to the television, and to what had gotten Warren so angry and nearly fell to her knees in anguish.

"Barron Battle," she whispered, afraid to speak his name aloud. "Mom...what are we going to do?"

Gaila passed Kailey a piece of paper from the fax machine and then slumped back down onto the couch in despair. "All of the supers in Maxville have been summoned...even those of us who have gone inactive."

"But..." Kailey began. She was cut off by a look from her mother.

"No _but_'s, Kailey," Gaila looked out of the front door and nodded in Warren's direction. "Go talk to Warren. We'll need him soon. He may be the only one who can bring his father back to prison without an altercation."

Kailey shrugged and looked longingly at the stairs to her bedroom. What she wouldn't have given to go on up and fall into a deep sleep in her bed. If she could only do that, she would wake up to find that the events of the night were only a dream. She sighed. Yeah, right.

She took a step for the door and her knees wobbled a bit, but she forced them to keep her up as she walked out the front door. Once she was outside, she saw Warren sitting on her porch steps, his hands engulfed in flames as if he could let his anger burn away as he stared into the fire.

"Warren?" she inched toward him, afraid that he would hurl a fireball at her if she startled him.

"I told you that I wouldn't hurt you, Starr," he spoke, his eyes still locked on the flames. Kailey's attention was distracted by a bolt of lightning in the distance and then watched as several strikes landed closer to their vicinity as she took a seat on the cement step next to Warren. As she lowered herself to the step to the left of him, Warren extinguished his flames so that he wouldn't burn her.

"Are you all right?" Kailey inquired as she reached forward to pick up a piece of a twig that had been lying on the step on front of them. She drug the piece of wood around in circles on the patches of dirt that covered the rough concrete steps as she awaited an answer. Warren opened his mouth to reply and then let out a deep breath instead. Kailey paused in playing with her stick and turned to look at him.

"It's been some kind of day," he muttered, shaking his head.

Kailey nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

"I always dreamed about my father coming home when I was a kid. He'd come home, Mom would be happy and things would be great. Every problem that we had would be fixed...life would be _perfect_," he confessed, a far-away look haunting his brown eyes. Kailey laid a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Not too long ago, I realized that nothing would _ever_ be perfect...or normal for us."

Kailey smiled sadly, thinking of her own problems, and how she had wished for the exact same things as a young girl. "Unfortunately, you're right. Nothing for us will _ever_ be normal."

Warren nodded his head at her as if to say, _'It figures.'_

There was a pause between them as Kailey stood and started to walk down the driveway and into the street. There were clouds rolling in overhead, but the moon still found a way to show through, casting broken silver beams across the pavement. Kailey followed the patterns with her eyes, as if she were playing hopscotch in her mind's eye.

"How did you see me?" Warren inquired quietly, his voice slicing through the humming silence. Kailey started at the unexpected sound of his voice.

"I...can locate supers. I use it as an exercise to center myself when I'm feeling...not quite all in one place." Kailey fought hard for the words to explain. It was like trying to tell another individual how to breathe. You couldn't explain how it worked, you just _knew._

"How does it work?"

Kailey groaned inwardly, though she was kind of grateful that he would be interested. It gave them a topic that allowed them to converse without alienating one another.

"I just...look for people I know, mainly. All I have to do is think their name, and I see them in the back of my mind," she answered softly. She shrugged and Warren nodded.

"Hmm."

The noise was his only reply before he grew silent again. In the distance, Kailey heard a low rumble of thunder and it brought her eyes back up to the sky. She felt a thrumming of danger, as if the storm was right above them. Wouldn't that just make for the perfect end to the _perfect_ day? She frowned at the amount of sarcasm she had running through her mind, and shook her head to clear it of her negative thoughts.

Back on the steps, Warren unclenched his left hand and reignited it. A small fireball danced in the palm of his hand, looking nearly as harmless as a sleeping kitten. Kailey's attention was drawn in by the sudden burst of light, and captivated by the measured movements of the flames. Despite how hard she tried, Kailey could not tear her gaze away from the amber glow, and Warren noticed. He stretched his hand out and the flames fanned out with it, covering the entire surface of his hand. He turned the hand over and over, watching the flames lick around his hand in loving gestures.

"This is the only thing that my father ever gave me, besides the reputation. The pathetic thing is, I used to think that it would bring us closer together, maybe even bring him back to being the person that Mom fell in love with," he spoke as he watched the flames move in the slight, cool breeze from the storm clouds above.

Kailey swallowed her nerves and walked back over to him. She took her seat back on his left and raised her right hand slowly. He turned his eyes to her hand questioningly as she began to lower it over the flames in his palm. She watched his face, instead of the nearness of their hands, waiting for him to meet her eyes. Once it dawned on him what she was attempting, his eyes flew up to hers.

She held his gaze as she placed her small hand in his, trusting him more than she should have not to burn her. As her hand descended, Warren's flames shrank down to the point that they were barely flickers of light, and when her hand landed in his, Warren extinguished his flames altogether and gripped her hand tightly in his, as if it were a lifeline. They stared into each other's eyes for several moments before Kailey smiled.

"What?" Warren couldn't help but smile himself. Her smile was too contagious. Kailey's only reply was to smile wider until she brought a small laugh from him.

"There!" she cried out of triumph, laughter echoing in her voice. "I knew I could get a laugh out of you!"

Warren's smile remained on his face as he watched her laughing. For some reason, he felt relaxed around her. It was almost as if, despite all of the problems of the day, things would end up all right. Off the top of his head, Warren couldn't think of a single time in his life that he had felt anything similar. He broke their gaze reluctantly and stared down at their hands that were still clasped together.

"You know," he began as he interlaced his fingers with hers. "If someone had told me that I'd be falling..."

He trailed off and Kailey's eyes widened. She searched his face for any indication of even the slightest _hint_ of sincerity. She found only a thoughtful mask as he opened his mouth to try again.

"If anyone had told me that you and I would be _here_," he motioned between the two of them with his free hand, "within twenty-four hours...I probably would have roasted them alive."

Kailey drew in a quick breath and Warren gave her a small smile when he sensed her uneasiness.

"But here we are," he continued, "and I...kind of like it."

Kailey's stumped expression turned up into a smile.

"Good. So do I," she replied as a drop of rain hit the pavement in front of the toe of her shoe. Kailey looked up into the streetlight and watched as more and more drops began to fall. She stood and pulled Warren to his feet.

"Let's get your bike into the garage before it gets too wet for you to ride it home," she told him as she released his hand, walked over to the garage door, and punched in the entry code on the keypad. The door rumbled and began to open, leaving the tracks vibrating as it moved. When she turned around, Warren was waiting behind her with his motorcycle leaned against his hip.

"Where can I put it?" he inquired over the noise of the steel door.

Kailey just shrugged, "Just put it anywhere. We're down to one car at the moment. Mom's car is in the shop, so we just have the old Celica," She nodded to her car with the sun-faded red paint.

"Aren't you just fifteen?"  
"Hardship license," she replied. "I got it so I could take Mom to work and still be able to work myself...before she bought the new Mustang. And before I had to quit my job."

"Quit?" he inquired, cocking an eyebrow at her. "What for?"

Kailey tried not to laugh as she raised a hand and made it go invisible. "Invisibility is one of the hardest abilities to control. My Dad had it, and I just developed it last year. It was hard for me to control it, so Mom pulled me from school and work. She's got two jobs now, though I help her with the second one from time to time. I still have a long way to go before I master my invisibility power. I think that's the main reason I'm enrolled at Sky High...I can turn invisible and no one will think its weird. Just another kid without a handle on her power."

Warren nodded as he wheeled the motorcycle into the garage backwards. He put the kickstand down and was scratching on a bit of dirt or debris that was stuck on the front wheel well when the timed light on the garage door opener flicked off. He instinctively looked up and frowned.

Kailey's stomach clenched as the light went out, and completely forgot about their conversation. Some days Kailey didn't like it that her powers were still maturing, but then again there were days like today when she didn't mind it one bit. In the shy light from the laundry room that shined through the window in the wooden door into her house, Kailey could barely make out a form. It was Warren. The bit that bothered her senses were the dark, smoky tendrils that were playing about his shoulders as if tasting him; tasting his power. Kailey snarled. If she and her mother had been found, they would be forced to move again.

Her mind suddenly flashed back to the names that had been broadcast over the television. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned the piece of fax paper that her mother had passed to her earlier in the evening. It flew in the air, trailing Kailey's power as it slipped under the door and up into her hand. She scanned the paper rapidly, looking for a certain name, but hoping that she was wrong. She almost dropped the paper when she came across it.

"_Darkness_," she whispered. Just at the mere mention of the name, the tendrils attempted to close around Warren. Kailey reached out to him with her hand and her telekinetic power issued from her outstretched palm. She felt her power encircle him like a protective cocoon and when it closed, she used her power to pull him back out from the garage and into the rain where they could stand in the protection of the light from the windows and the streetlight. Warren sucked in a deep breath as he felt the prickling roll of Kailey's power recede.

"_What_...was _that_ for?" he growled, feeling slightly violated. Warren rubbed at his skin, trying to chase away the remaining goosebumps on his arms.

"Watch," she whispered as she reached out again with her telekinetic ability. She sent her power through the garage and the wall to rest against the switch plate on the inside of the house. With a flick of her wrist, light flooded the garage.

"That..._really _hurts, you know," a man, near Warren's height stepped out of the garage, rubbing his temples. His voice held a tired British accent, and he was dressed in a black leather coat that just screamed, "_I'm stolen!_"

Kailey sighed and fought the urge to hang her head. What else could _possibly_ go wrong in one day?


	8. Visitations

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill. It ain't mine. I only own Kailey, her family, and any other made up creatures along the way. Author's note after the story! Love & Kisses! See you at the bottom!

* * *

**Part Seven**  
_Visitations_

"_What_ are you doing here?" Kailey demanded, her hands on her hips as she began counting silently to ten. Some days...she felt like she held a bright red sign over her head that said, _"Here I am, villains! Come and get me!"_

The dark figure flung his arms out in exasperation, the leather crinkling with the effort. He looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "You know..._who_ I am, but you don't know _why_ I'm here? Is that possible? I saw you bloody traipsing all over the lawn and owed you and yours a bit o' payback for locking me up, that's bloody well why!"_  
_

"I told you she wasn't the brightest Crayon in the box," a female voice came from behind her. A voice that she knew all too well._  
_

"Allie," Kailey whispered, her voice trembling. She steeled her emotions and tried as hard as she could not to let tears spring to her eyes for the girl that she once called a friend.

"Not anymore," the girl leaned over Kailey's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "They call me Manic now...but you knew that, didn't you?"  
Kailey watched as the girl walked around her to join the villain known to many in Maxville as The Darkness. Manic tried to bait Kailey with a provocative look as she moved, a sway in her step from the three-inch silver spike heels she wore. Manic tugged at her short, midnight blue dress, and all but draped herself over Darkness' arm. She smiled cruelly at Kailey.

"That's right," Kailey spat out. "The Manic Darkness. The mad scientist and his _pet experiment_."

Warren laid a reassuring hand on Kailey's shoulder and found her trembling with anger. It caught him off guard, but his hand never wavered. He knew what that kind of hate and anger felt like, but he didn't want anyone else to ever have to experience it. He looked up at the couple of villains and frowned.

Manic simply shrugged as she gazed lovingly at her co-conspirator.

"The Darkness has always been a _brilliant_ man. I was just his first great achievement!" She boasted proudly, puffing herself up to the point that Kailey wanted to laugh at her.

"And _conquest_!" Kailey added, almost snarling at the duo. She grabbed a handful of Warren's leather jacket at his lower back and discreetly pulled him along beside her as she walked in a slow circle around the two villains. When she was near the garage, she stepped just inside the door. Mistaking her movements for a sly retreat, Manic grinned broadly.

"You two," Kailey pointed to the Manic Darkness and smiled. She knew her smile wasn't nice, but if it would do the trick, she'd gladly keep it up, "are not allowed here. I suggest you leave. _Now_."

The Darkness cocked his head at her and smiled as if she had said something funny. "I don't think, little Starr, that you have the power to force me to do anything."

"I do," Warren spoke up, his voice holding a menacing tone as he ignited both arms and held them up for all to see. He glared daggers at the two villains standing in Kailey's driveway, and prayed that he wouldn't burn down her house.

The Darkness turned his eyes to the pyrokinetic and fought the laughter that threatened to issue from his throat. "Warren Peace! Your father will be _so pleased_ to know that you have been located! And you share his powers! He will be _most _ecstatic."

Manic, meanwhile, was bouncing from one foot to another, watching Warren's flames dance along his arms.

"Ooh! I wanna play too!" She laughed as she formed a pair of pink energy balls, one in the palm of each hand, and elevated them with her mind. She wound them together with a joining of her hands above her head and then pulled down the large ball of energy. She took a deep breath and then sent the ball careening toward Warren with an outward thrust of her arms.

Kailey knew exactly what the girl was going to do moments before the ball of energy flew toward them. Kailey crossed her arms in an "X" across her chest, and then flung them out to either side, placing a force field across the entire front of the house. Kailey staggered on her feet on account of the rapid drain of her power, and Warren had to latch onto her elbows to keep her from falling over. It was the biggest force field that she had ever attempted to create, and the headache that appeared behind her eyes was evidence that it had been too much for her.

Kailey allowed Warren to help her stand because she didn't know if she could do it on her own. She had almost powered herself out putting up one _stinking_ force field! She grumbled to herself, but managed to find her feet fairly quickly. One hand went back to her hips as the ball of energy struck the force field and bounced off, hitting Manic square in the chest. She doubled over, holding her stomach and chest in pain. The Darkness had watched the exchange with hooded eyes, and he turned them back to Kailey.

"A nice trick," he nodded. "I didn't know you had it in you, luv."

"There's a lot of things about me that you don't know, I'm sure," once again, she used the not-so-nice smile on the villains, and The Darkness cocked his head at her.

"Well. Enlighten me, then."

"I _don't_ think so," Kailey replied, shaking her head. Warren chose that moment to step in front of her, his arms re-kindled.

"If you want her, you go through me," he growled.

The Darkness turned his eyes back to Warren, and gave him a cold glare that would have shaken anyone but Warren Peace. Behind him, Manic pulled herself up so that she stood upright, her eyes flicking wildly between Warren, and Kailey. She was beginning to visibly manifest the aliment that her own power caused, the suffering caused by a hyped-up manic episode. This kind of manic episode was known in the medical community as a hypomanic episode. It would last for at a_ minimum _of four days, meaning that Manic, at least, should be out of commission until then. She would soon be bouncing off of the walls and blurting out things at random that made absolutely no sense, on top of not sleeping whatsoever. The Darkness was about to become painfully aware of how well his little 'experiment' had worked out. Kailey tried not to laugh at the irony of the situation, and was aided in restraining her laughter as she glanced from Warren to the villain staring at him in contempt.

Where Warren's eyes burned with a blazing hot anger, The Darkness' raged with a cool anger. His gaze was filled with the promise of all of the evil things that could happen to an individual in the despairing dark of the night.

"That," he lowered his voice, "can be arranged…"

In an instant, something swept down from the sky, picking Manic up by her shoulders, and dropped her halfway down the block. The Darkness' eyes went from threatening to wide and nearly panicked as he saw what had happened to his sidekick. He turned back to the two teens standing in the garage, and glared at them with malice."You should watch your backs. Not even your _precious_ Sky High will be safe from us," he threatened as he directed his gaze completely to Warren. "And if I were you, I wouldn't be surprised if Mommy Dearest was next on the visit list."

Warren's flames burned hotter at that last admission, and he attempted to charge the force field, only to be bounced backwards. Kailey held out her arms and extended her power to keep him from crashing into her. Once he felt her power touch him, Warren extinguished his flames and collapsed to his knees, letting out a guttural scream. It was a howling rage, as if he were about to shapeshift into some creature of the night, and Kailey shuddered where she stood at the sound. Despite her reaction to his voice, she kept her eyes locked on the villain as he backed into the shadows.

"I'll see you around," he told her as he seemed to melt into the dark. Kailey just nodded to the disappearing villain as the Commander walked up to her garage, his eyes scanning over the shadows that lined the street as well.

"I'll be waiting," she muttered as she allowed her force field to fall from its place across the front of the house. She stared off into the dark abyss where he had disappeared, and was only brought back to reality by Warren's hand being laid softly onto her shoulder.

"Kailey, I have to go call my Mom. I have to warn her," he told her quietly. Kailey nodded as the Strongholds stepped into her garage. She made a quick decision to reconstruct the force field that she had dropped so that it would be stronger and be able to withstand nearly any force thrown at it. There was no telling what kind of villain was lurking around the corner.

Instead of just covering the front of the house, this time Kailey moved piece by piece over the entire exterior of the house, doubly shielding doors, windows and any other weak spot that she could think of. She told herself as she worked, that no one, not even Barron Battle himself, would be able to take down her shield. Everyone in her home would be safe. As soon as she was finished, Kailey collapsed to her knees in a breathless heap. She had spent too much power in too short a time. She wasn't as efficient as her mother in using her powers, but Kailey knew that it had to be done. She leaned against the side of the red Celica and let out a deep breath, concerned about one thing.

"How did they find us?" she asked aloud, to no one in particular. She was met with a thrumming silence as several thoughts, most of them worst-case-scenario, swarmed through her mind. She shook her head to clear it of the intruding thoughts.

"It was probably just luck," Josie Stronghold spoke from behind her, "Being fresh out of prison, they'd want to terrorize someone. We're just lucky it was you, Kailey. You did well holding your own against them; you and Warren both."

Kailey turned to them and opened her mouth to reply, but stopped immediately as her stomach gave a tumultuous somersault. Her hand went to her forehead and she closed her eyes tightly as she stretched out her mind. Something was _definitely_ wrong. She extended her arms, palms upward, and closed her eyes. She used a different version of her focusing exercise to explore the area around her home, trying to see what the commotion was. What panicked her the most was that she saw nothing. Someone had to have been masking her vision. It felt almost like what had happened at power placement, someone was tainting her abilities.

Josie looked at Kailey closely. "What is it?"

Kailey shook her head. "I don't know, someone is toying with me. I keep getting this sense of..._evil._"

"Barron Battle," Steve grumbled.

Kailey risked a glance at him, but it wasn't Steve Stronghold that she saw. It was The Commander, and he was _all_ business as he stared out onto the in front of Kailey's house. She whirled around as she heard a metal trash can tumble to the ground. Her eyes only registered a streak dancing from one end of the street to the other.

"Speed," Josie muttered. Kailey nodded in understanding. She had heard a little bit about this bunch of miscreants from Will earlier, since Layla had decided to brag on him after dinner. Last year's Homecoming fiasco sounded like something none of them wanted to repeat. Before Kailey knew it, the street was crawling with villains, and she frowned at the ruckus that they were creating. It was nearly, she checked her watch, 12:30 in the morning! She shook her head at their actions. They were villains, after all.

A girl with dark brown hair and pale skin led the pack of escapees down the street, laughing as loud as they possibly could. Kailey watched as one girl separated herself into five separate individuals, and then retracted them back into her body, repeating the action over and over again. Another figure followed, hunkered down over himself and skipping ever-so-oddly behind them. He cackled all the way after them. Kailey sighed.

"Let me guess, Royal Pain and crew," Kailey spoke quietly, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.

"Minus one," Josie replied, "their other partner-in-crime, Lash Stephens, got out of prison two weeks ago on good behavior. He's number one on my list of suspects for tonight's activity. I can't believe we have to stop them again. Will is going to be so upset."

"I can't believe we have to put _Battle_ back in prison," Steve corrected. "We'd have no problem with Royal Pain and her cronies, or the Manic Darkness for that matter, but _Battle_? He's a challenge and a half!"

Kailey watched the group of villains glance behind them and then scatter. Something was definitely wrong.

"What the...?" No sooner had she gotten the words out of her mouth, than a giant fireball appeared, chasing the misguided youths down the street.

"Battle?" Josie inquired from behind her.

"I do believe that there is _definitely _one coming," Kailey replied, frowning at her own dry humor.

"By the name of Barron," Steve Stronghold nearly growled, and Kailey could almost feel a frown similar to hers spreading across Josie's face. There were certainly several years of bad blood between Barron Battle and Steve Stronghold, and it seemed as if each new year had drawn a new, corresponding wrinkle on the elder Stronghold's face. The trio watched in awed silence as the flames cut a swath of destruction before them, burning trees, mailboxes and homes, which sent people running about in panic and disorder. Chaos seemed to be the name of the game in this round.

The man who was the source of the blazes was tall, dark and gaunt. His skin tone had paled from being locked in solitary, but he walked with a confident, "I-dare-you" swagger. His face held scores of lines and wrinkles all its own, serving to add to his fearful image. Eyes widened as they saw him, and those who knew who he was whispered about, warning others that this was _the _Barron Battle! He turned his head this way, and that, and glanced around at his destruction, an eerie smile on his face as he moved about. His hair was so dark that it looked black, but in the weak streetlight, who could tell? It hung limply a few inches past his shoulders, coalescing in filthy curls. His bright orange jumpsuit hung open at the front, exposing his dirt-stained sternum. Kailey winced at how thin he was. His bones showed too well through his skin as if he had been malnourished. It was probably a purposeful action, but it still made Kailey feel sorry for him.

She shouldn't have.

Barron Battle extended an arm toward Kailey's house, and the other toward the house across the street and let out a long blast of flame. The house across from Kailey's caught fire easily, but the only thing that hers had to suffer from was heat. When the small, white-sided house didn't erupt into flames, Battle's head turned slowly. In his brown eyes was a fierce desperation to burn something. Anything. _Everything_.

It was what happened when a super-powered individual was released or, in this case, escaped from a facility that was constructed to suppress those powers. Battle had been entombed in the Maxville Maximum Security Compound for nearly fifteen years. That amount of time in solitary was sure to have messed with what little shred of sanity had been left.

In his eyes, Kailey caught a glimmer of recognition. He turned himself toward the trio standing in the garage, and suddenly the girl felt a chill go up her spine. Barron Battle was the biggest and baddest of all of the super villains that had come out of Maxville, and Kailey was about to find out exactly _how _scary a villain at the end of his rope could be. The stories of his horrors, up until now, had been only tales to her, twisted and embellished because _no one_ could be "that scary."

Boy, had she been wrong.

"Steven Stronghold. Good to see you again," Barron Battle's voice was croaky as he spoke, as if he hadn't gotten enough water.

"You're powering out, Barron. You need to let us help you," The Commander told him, his voice devoid of emotion. Barron cocked his head, and looked at the elder Stronghold a moment before shaking his head.

"Help me? They way you _helped_ me fifteen years ago? Doubtful, Stronghold, doubtful."

Kailey heard the door swing open behind her and saw Barron's head shoot up, transfixed by the source of the motion.

"Kailey, Mom says she's all right, but I want to…" Warren trailed off as he looked up, just short of being beside Kailey and caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of the man standing before them. He squared his shoulders and strode purposefully the remaining distance across the garage, anger emanating from his entire body as he moved. He pulled up just a little bit in front of Kailey, his feet shoulder-width apart and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.  
"_You_," Warren growled, and that one word held so much hurt and anger, that Kailey was afraid that the younger pyrokinetic might explode at any moment. She risked a glance at Warren and sighed. He was trembling with the force of his anger and, every once in a while, she thought that she caught a wisp or two of grey smoke snaking out of the sleeves of his leather jacket.

Kailey longed to be as powerful as her mother in that moment, but knew that she was years from that level of power. Her mother's empathic ability was likely the only thing that could reach inside Warren's walls to calm the rage within him. She turned her eyes back to Barron Battle, whose own eyes were filling up with knowledge.

"Like father, like son," the villain smirked. "Hello, my boy."

"You haven't earned the _right_ to call me that," Warren snarled, pointing a finger at his father in emphasis. His hands trembled a moment before erupting into flames. Kailey wanted to shy away from the sudden heat, but she stood her ground and extended her own hands to her sides, palms up. Her mother, when Kailey had just been developing her power, had taught her to channel her minimum amount of telekinesis in the form of a weapon in the palms of her hands, and Kailey took the offensive stance that had been ingrained in her. If Warren began flinging fireballs, she would have no choice but to drop the force field. If she didn't, everyone in the garage, and the house itself, stood a good chance of being burnt to a crisp. She sighed. Oh, to be normal...

Barron gave his son an injured look and placed a hand over his heart. The frown on his face soon morphed into a maniacal grin.

"_Definitely_ my son," he turned his eyes to Kailey and hers went wide, "And _you_ must be the little Starr."

"You leave her alone!" Warren shouted, his flames crawling up his arms to meet his shoulders. Barron's eyes returned to his son for a moment, confusion drawn across his face.

"What is she to you?" Barron inquired quietly, his eyes only tiny slits in his face as he looked both Warren and Kailey up and down. She could practically see the wheels in his mind turning to come up with an answer to his own question. Suddenly, realization dawned on his face and Barron glowered at the young supers.

"You care for her," he said it without a hint of emotion in his voice, but he didn't need it to. The look on Barron's face was enough to convey how he felt. He was ticked.

Kailey felt Warren tense beside her and shake his head.

"No," Warren growled, his normally deep voice going a few octaves lower. Kailey let a small amount of her telekinetic ability trickle down to her fingers where little lightning-like beams of her power leapt eagerly from finger to finger, as if her power longed to rid the heroes of their distraction. She prayed that Barron wouldn't catch her little fireworks display, or they'd all be in trouble. Somewhere inside her, Kailey felt a pang of hurt at Warren's refusal of her, but she fought to tune it out. He had only said it to protect her. Kailey fought the urge to lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and settled for a glance upward instead.  
Warren's face was set in angry lines, as if he were a ticking time bomb that would erupt completely into flames at any given moment. He was glaring heatedly at his father through Kailey's force field as if he could tear it down with his own eyes. She took a half step forward, putting herself in front of Warren and his flames.

"That's _enough_! I will _not_ have this turn into a battle of egos!" Kailey looked back and forth between Warren and Barron, a look of serious disapproval on her face. She stared at each of them, waiting for one of them to be the bigger person and back down. She watched Warren as his flames flickered, and then receded to the point that they were just large balls of flame in the palms of his hands.

"You _love_ each other!" Barron continued, a smug grin growing across his face. Kailey fought hard for a stoic face, and to not allow the villain to see her surprise. She watched Warren retake his place in front of her, blocking her from Barron's view. Warren growled again.

"_I. Do. Not. Love. Her_," he continued, punctuating every word as if it were its own sentence, and Barron simply laughed. Kailey let out a sigh of exasperation and shut off the power in her right hand by closing her fist. When she reopened it, she placed her hand on Warren's lower back. His head snapped around at the light touch, and his eyes sought hers out.

"It's right _there_!" Barron cried out, motioning at the exchange between Warren and Kailey. "My intention was to punish the entire Starr family for what happened to you mother, and yours as well, Stronghold. Don't think I've forgotten about you," he laughed. Behind her, Kailey heard the soft, protesting crinkle of Steve Stronghold's leather gloves as he balled his hands into fists as Barron continued.

"But to harm _her _would harm _you_," he motioned to Warren, "which would harm your mother!" Barron threw his arms up in exasperation and flung himself around in a circle, his leather jacket flaring out around him. When he faced the garage full of heroes again, Barron's face held a look of impatience.  
"Don't you see, boy? Love makes you _weak_! It has _already_ made you weak!"

Warren was shaking his head as his father spoke. "I refuse to believe that," he told him flatly as he enlarged the fireball in his right hand. "You should leave now."

Barron stepped forward until he was within an arm's reach of the barrier and then leaned forward menacingly. Barron glared at his son as he did so and laughed. He stilled so quickly that it frightened Kailey. She reignited the power in her fingers and felt her energy leap from fingertip to fingertip.

"I don't take orders from those weaker than me," Barron growled, and in that instant, Kailey knew exactly where Warren's voice quality had come from. Warren opened his mouth to deliver a retort, but Kailey was quicker than the pyrokinetic's words. She visualized a hole in her force field and pulled her arm up and away from her side. Kailey called a good amount of her power into her hand and threw it toward her invisible opening.

Warren watched as Kailey's nearly-invisible streams of energy issued forth from her fingertips to entwine with one another after leaving her hand. The bolt of Kailey's power took Barron in the chest, sliding him down the driveway several feet.

Kailey let out a deep breath, inwardly satisfied with her accomplishment as she attempted to quickly re-seal her hole. Barron rebounded quickly, and sent a long burst of flame back in their direction. Kailey held her hands up, hoping to ward off any flames that managed to get around the edges of her shields. Before she could register the movement, Warren had turned his back to his father and taken her in his arms. She had no idea if Barron's flames had broken her shields or not, held within Warren's six-foot-three frame. She risked a glance upward, and was startled to find Warren looking down at her, a look akin to sadness or pain on his face. It was something Kailey hadn't ever expected to see. Warren released her slowly, and just as achingly slow, he turned to face his father once again.

"You. Are. Weak," Barron drawled out, one hand still hovering over his stomach. "The _girl_ has to stand up for you? I think that foolish courage must have been passed down from her father, along with his _stupidity_."

Kailey started to step forward, but Warren held out his arm, keeping her behind him. She didn't want past him badly enough to sidestep his arm, so she settled for straining against his strength and shouting a retort.

"How _dare_ you speak of my father! _YOU_ are the reason that he's lying up in that hospital bed!"

Barron leaned back a bit and cocked his head, marveling at the fire he'd just woken in the girl.

"Ahh. Struck a chord, did we now?" He lit a small flame in the palm of h is hand and held it out for all to see. "Even the most _promising_ of flames can be extinguished, given the proper circumstance, Little Starr. In this way, I liken you all to a flame. The weakest," he glanced at Warren when he said it, "will be extinguished first, and the rest will be soon to follow."

With his last two words, Barron closed his fist and the tiny lick of flame was put out. Kailey set her face in a scowl as she gazed at the villain. Somehow she knew that her face was a petite mirror of the exact look on Steve Stronghold and Warren's faces.

"Are you implying that you are more powerful than any of us here today?" Steve Stronghold's commanding voice echoed throughout the garage, making Kailey jump. There was more than one reason why his name was "The Commander."

Battle turned amused eyes to him.

"Implying? Hardly, Stronghold; I am _declaring_ it!" Warren's hands flared up again, and Barron glanced back over at his son. He tsk-tsked as he shook his head at Warren. "Made in my image, but crippled by affection. Tell me, son. How _does_ your mother function?"

"You..._liar_," Kailey spoke under her breath, awed at the villain's lack of humility. Barron's head snapped back around to her and he looked at her curiously.

"You call me a liar. Why?"

"Made in _your_ image? _Please_!" She had to restrain a laugh out of fear of what Barron's reaction was already going to be.

"_How _can you look at me and say that, child? Do you wish to join your father? I assure you, I have no reservations to dissuade me from doing so," he replied menacingly.

Kailey swallowed her fear and stood her ground. "I can say it because I have the _faith _to back it up," she told him.

"_Faith_? As in 'Man-was-made-in-God's-image,' faith?" Barron's tone was skeptical, which just angered Kailey further.

"That's right. Because He wouldn't have made _any_ of us in the image of the Devil," she shot back.

Warren's angry tremors grew into a burst of flame from his hands. Kailey fought not to take a step back, sensing that it was Warren's own brand of silent warning to her to watch her step.

"Soon, Girl, you shall see just how correct that analogy is for me," he gave Kailey a smile, but it wasn't a pleasant one. She gave him one of her own to match his, and he laughed before looking to Warren.

"You've taught her that look well."

Warren shook his head as he continued to glare daggers at his father, "It wasn't me. She came that way."

"Well, then," Barron nodded and then glanced back at the street, his wet hair curling tightly around his shoulders, "you two should be a challenge. I have to go, I have other...things to attend to."

He glanced warily at each individual in the garage before letting his eyes settle on Warren. "I'll be watching you, boy."

Warren simply nodded as Barron took a couple of steps backward down the driveway and then jogged off into the night, his leather duster fanned out behind him like a cape. Warren let out a deep breath and Kailey tried to pull him to her for a hug. He shrugged past her and raced back into the house, not caring to close the door behind him. Kailey stared after him, dumbfounded.

"Are you all right, Kailey?"

The girl started at the soft voice and a hand fell lightly on her shoulder. She turned to see the worried eyes of Josie Stronghold and nodded.

"I...think so," she replied, letting the woman embrace her tightly. Kailey pulled out of the embrace long enough to realize that they were one Stronghold short. "Where's Will?"

Josie's face curved up into a smile at the mention of her son, "Out with Layla. We didn't want to interrupt them tonight. They never really get to go out since he's always helping us, so we thought that we'd give them tonight to themselves."

Kailey gave Josie a look as if to tell her that she was crazy. Josie simply shrugged.

"Well, I think that their fun time is about to be over," Steve Stronghold added. "He won't know how to handle Barron Battle on his own."

Something about his words made a little light bulb go off in Kailey's mind and something clench in her stomach. "Uh...I don't think that he's going to have to worry about that tonight."

Josie and Steve both exchanged glances and gazed at Kailey questioningly before realization dawned on Josie's face.

"Justice," Josie's head fell as the name left her lips in a whisper. Kailey nodded and turned her eyes to the open door. Without a word, she moved swiftly for the door and raced inside, casting her eyes about the room in search of Warren.

_'Kitchen, Love,'_ her mother's voice echoed through her mind, and Kailey nodded her thanks. She moved slowly for the kitchen and her heart sank when she saw Warren punching buttons on the silver wireless phone in fear. She could nearly see the panic rising off of him in waves, and behind her she could hear the Strongholds greeting her mother. She sighed and took another deep breath as she stepped into the kitchen and leaned against a wall.

"Warren?" she called quietly, and received no response. She took another tentative step into the room and sat at the kitchen table next to Warren. She leaned across and reached out to him, placing a hand over his fidgeting fingers. Warren turned a pair of haunted eyes to her, and Kailey saw the most unlikely of emotions playing over his face: fear.

"There's no answer," he whispered. Kailey took the phone from his trembling hands and set it back in the cradle to recharge. She laid a hand on his cheek and gave him a reassuring smile.

"We telempaths have _other _ways of finding people," she whispered in reply. He gave her a half-hearted smile which looked extremely uncharacteristic on his face, as if her were wearing a suit that didn't fit properly.

"Don't...move," she told him as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes to concentrate. She let her mind reach out again, and felt the power uncurl itself, caressing the inside of her head. It felt soft, like velvet, and brought a half-smile to her lips as she sent that energy out to seek for her. It hovered around her for a moment, as if waiting for her command to invade whatever and wherever she wished. In her mind's eye, she gazed at that shining white power and marveled that it was hers. She smiled, and sent it away with a whisper.

"Justice Peace," her lips hardly moved as the sound came out. She felt her mind stretch out and brush other supers, tasting their power as it passed them by. Suddenly, she felt her consciousness settle over a dark-haired woman who knelt by a fireplace mantle, praying. In a few more seconds, the image became crystal clear and she was able to make out Justice's face. A muffled crash resounded outside and Justice whirled around. Her eyes widened, and she gripped a flashlight at her side tightly. Every light in the house burned with intensity, and Kailey watched as Justice's dark brown eyes flicked back up to a pewter cross on the cherry wood mantle, spring nimbly to her feet and then race from the room. Kailey sighed and reigned her ability back in from Justice.

"Damian Black," she whispered, and the menacing glare of the Darkness invaded her vision, as if they were face-to face. She commanded her vision to back out and reveal the entire scene. Above them, a streetlight expired in a brilliant flash of light. The loud pop of the dying filament echoed loudly in the night, and caused Kailey to jump. Quickly, Kailey took in the rest of the scene and disconnected from her vision.

When she came back to herself, Warren was watching her expectantly and sitting in nearly the same position that he had been in when she had unleashed her ability. Kailey clamped her mental shields back into place over her locating power and stood, pulling Warren to his feet next to her.

"Warren, what does your house look like?" She asked.

"Why?" he asked, but in his voice was a tinge of anger. Kailey realized that it would be a good thing later, but now...she needed him to be level-headed, not pig-headed.

"_Please_, Warren. Just tell me."

He frowned as he fell back behind his walls of defiance. After one day of knowing him, and watching his emotions come and go, she was beginning to think that anger was his method of survival. Scare the rest of the world away and nothing can harm you. But what happens when the great bad thing is scarier than you are?

Kailey watched as the emotions flitted across his face, with a concerned look on hers.

"What did you see?" He took a demanding tone, but Kailey didn't begrudge him for it. He had every right to feel angry.

"A mantel over a fireplace. A Celtic-looking pewter or silver cross was on top of it. She was praying. I heard a crash and she ran into another room. I decided to look for...the Darkness, and he was peering in a window. The sill was painted white, and there was a white porch..."

"Around the back," he finished, his voice issuing in tones to low that it was nearly a growl.

"Yes," Kailey whispered in reply.

"Get the Strongholds. We're going," he told her, balling his hands into fists. Kailey just nodded and nearly tripped over herself as she entered the living room. All eyes turned to her, and she held an arm out toward the front door as if to say, "_Right this way_!"

"The Manic Darkness...is at Warren's..." She told them, her breath coming in short gasps from excitement

"All right," the Commander had heard all that he needed to hear as he stood from the white couch. "Let's go, Josie."

"Okay," Josie replied as she stood and flipped her cape behind her. She looked at the girl and smiled, "Kailey, you coming?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a deep, resounding "_No!_" from behind her. She let the shock fill her face as her gaze reverted to Warren.

"_What_ are you _talking_ about!"

"You're not coming." He replied, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"_What!_ Is this just because I'm a _girl_? You think...you're going to have to rescue me, too. That's it, isn't it! Curse it all, Warren Peace, I do _not_ need to be rescued! I am not some fragile little thing made to look _pretty_!" She countered as she created an opening in her force fields for the Strongholds to exit.

Warren groaned and made for the door himself. "I don't have time for this," he mumbled.

"_I. AM. GOING,_" Kailey drawled out, and Warren held up his hands as if to tell her that he didn't care as he walked out of the door. Kailey looked at her mother. "Mom, you have to hold up the force field. Don't let it down for anyone."

"Kailey, I…I can't. I felt the amount of power that you used to put this together. I'm not that strong…I…"

"_Mom_," Kailey gave her mother a knowing smile as she held up a hand to silence her. "This is _your_ power. You and I both know that you are _more_ than capable of holding this thing together. I have to go. I love you."

Kailey hugged her mother and kissed her cheek before making a mad dash for the door. When she made it outside, Warren was mounting his motorcycle. Kailey quickly reconstructed her force field, envisioning it closing tightly and melting into the shield around the outer edges of the doorjamb. Once her task was finished, Kailey raced over to Warren who was strapping on his helmet. She touched his arm lightly and gave him a serious look as the Strongholds took off into the air and flew toward the Peace residence. Warren met her eyes, but he didn't try to hide his anger.

"I'm going, Warren," she told him sternly, "whether you like it or not."

He had the bike leaning over just enough for her to jump on behind him, and she did. Kailey took the spare helmet from behind her and pulled it on over her head. Warren gritted his teeth at the stubbornness of the girl behind him, but know that he didn't have the time to argue anymore.

"Fine," he growled. "If you're coming, then hang on. I'm gonna haul…" The rest of his words were lost in the roar of the engine as Kailey, once again, clung to Warren's back. She prayed as hard as she possibly could that they would make it there in time.

From the open front door, Gaila Starr watched her daughter and Warren Peace peel out down the street with a smile on her face. The girl was finally coming into her own as a heroine. She knew that Kailey had been classified as a sidekick, but she didn't understand it. Her only lead was a bit of mental residue left over from whoever had toyed with Kailey's mind during power placement. Who it was, she didn't know. Yet.

The one thing that she did know was that soon, Kailey would be getting curious about the rest of her powers, and would come asking. From this point on, it would get increasingly difficult to mask the rest of Gaila's own powers from her daughter. Kailey seemed to be figuring things out at a rapid pace, and Gaila was just happy to be along for the ride. She closed the door quietly and turned the deadbolt out of habit before returning to the television broadcast to contemplate her own actions. She had been inactive for years, and Gaila wondered if she still had what it took to be a super hero.

There was only one way to find out…

**

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**Author's Note:** WHEW! That one's done! I hope everyone liked it! I just want to give a BIG, HUGE thank you to everyone who has been reviewing! You guys rock! I luff you all! ;) I know, I am just _killing_ you with the suspense on who The Darkness and Manic are...I promise, that will come in the next chapter! Stay tuned! Also...I may, or may not, be posting a couple other stories that I'm working on...I haven't decided yet...but they're going to be GREAT! Let me know if you want to see them!

By the way: I had to re-upload the chapter...I found some misspellings and bad grammar that just had to be fixed. Other than that, nothing is different, I swear. ((smiles)). ENJOY!

And...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! Thankies muchly!

-Rayvin813


	9. Face Your Fear

**3.10.07  
A/N: **My goodness...it has been a darned long while, hasn't it? I just want to apologize in advance. This is NOT my best work, but I wanted to get something up to you guys who have been missing this story. I know that this is only one chapter, and probably pretty short for the way I normally write, but I wanted to turn something out over Spring Break, and here it is. I have done it! Anyhow, a BIG thank you to you guys for sticking with me. I'll try to get at LEAST one more bit of this story up by the end of Spring Break, but I don't know how much time I'll have left.

MUCH, MUCH love to you all! I hope you like it! As always, leave a review on your way out, even if it is short and to the point! ;)

Love and Kisses!  
-Rayvin813

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**Eight**  
_Face Your Fear_

Warren ducked and dodged as he drove the Buell down several side streets, with Kailey clinging tightly to his back. She'd thought that Warren had driven fast on the way to her house, but the speed that they were taking now was threatening to blow her off of the rear of the motorcycle. Maybe somewhere in the back of his mind his anger wanted that, but she had a feeling that he didn't really want to trade one injury for another. He only wanted her safe and out of the way of danger.

The only problem was, she wanted the same for him.

The motorcycle came to an abrupt halt, and Kailey was sent forward so quickly that she jarred her chin on Warren's shoulder. She rubbed it cautiously, trying to regain feeling as she worked her jaw up and down.

"Get off," Warren growled and Kailey slid to the ground silently, hoping to avoid all confrontation with the pyrokinetic. There were sure to be plenty of fireworks later.

She let Warren lead the way around the house, and followed his directions when he told her to help him "secure the perimeter of the house." Kailey had fought not to laugh at his phrasing until he'd given her a cold look. After that, it didn't seem so funny, and she did as she was directed. They met at the back of the house on the white-washed porch and Kailey looked to Warren for instruction.

"Well?" she asked quietly, afraid to speak too loudly for fear of ruining their surprise attack.

"We're going in," Warren replied, his voice a low whisper, "The Strongholds are going to watch the front and back to make sure no one gets out. We're going in to find mom, and bring her out safely."

Kailey nodded and attempted to glance in a window, but she was turned away by the mass of darkness on the inside of the window. She took a step away, and then paused as a horrible thought struck her.

"Warren!" She nearly squeaked out his name, fearing what the darkened interior would mean to their rescue mission. Warren came over to her holding the key to the back door in his hand, annoyance and anger dancing in his eyes.

"What is it?" he hissed.

"The lights are off," she replied. Her breathing was labored as she fought away the panicked feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

Warren gave her a disdainful look. "So what?"

"Something is wrong here. When I saw your mother, _all_ of the lights were on, and she was clinging to a flashlight," she told him. "_Something_ has happened since then."

A low sound escaped Warren's throat as Kailey talked. As soon as she finished, he turned on his heel and walked purposefully, with long strides, toward the door. In one fluid movement, Warren inserted his key into the lock, unlocked the door, and swung it open. Thankfully, the door was silent as it moved, evidence of good caretaking on the Peaces' part. Kailey wished she could same about her household.

Warren attempted to peer into the darkness, but to no avail. The churning in the pit of his stomach told him that there was indeed something wrong. At the moment, he liked his odds with Kailey at his side, and he was thankful that she had been too stubborn to have stayed at home. He took a step into the rear of the kitchen with Kailey inching forward behind him.

Her skin was crawling with goose bumps borne of apprehension, and she rubbed her arms absently, trying to relieve the instant fear that had overcome her. Once she realized what was happening, that the Darkness was using his power to evoke fear in the heroes, Kailey pulled a marcasite cross out of her pocket, latched it around her neck and gripped it tightly. She whispered quietly to herself over and over, hoping that no one would hear her as she prayed.

"I shall fear no evil, the Lord is with me…I shall fear no evil, the Lord is with me…"

Her prayers were quiet, but not quiet enough. Warren caught the end of her murmurings and wondered if the girl's mantra was helping to calm her down. Warren set his face behind his angry mask and let his fear be consumed by the flames of his anger, an emotion he was afraid that he would never run out of. The one thing that he knew, was that fear wouldn't get either of them anywhere. Anger _could_ be a handicap, but he was Warren Peace, Barron Battle's son. What did he know how to do better than to channel that anger into a weapon?

The kitchen, bathed in utter darkness, was nearly enough to make an individual despair. Kailey had a fleeting thought that this darkness, and the evil within it, was the reason that humans feared the dark. She shook her head to clear her mind of thoughts that most certainly weren't hers. Perhaps, she thought, it had been the Darkness that had been toying with her mind at power placement.

_'No,_' she countered herself, he had been in prison during power placement. But what about Manic?

_"You rang?"_ A menacing voice whispered through the nearly-tangible darkness, making Kailey jump. She clutched at Warren's jacket, and he turned to where he thought she should be next to him.

"What?" he whispered.

"Did you hear that?" She was gripping her cross so tightly that she could feel tiny tingles in her fingers. She knew without looking that her knuckles were a ghostly white.

"Hear what?" Warren asked. He could hear the panic in her voice, and took her free hand in his. Warren gave her hand a light squeeze for reassurance and hoped it would calm her down.

"I," Kailey's eyes were wide and frightened in the impermeable darkness, and she stood there, in place, willing them to see anything. She felt Warren lead her over to the wall as he fumbled around for a light switch. He found it and flipped the switch, but nothing happened. Frowning, he flipped the switch again and again.

"Can't you do something?" he asked Kailey as he turned back to glance at where he knew her to be.

She felt her fear recede momentarily, only to be replaced by amusement. "Warren," she replied, feigning disdain, "I'm a _telempath_, not an elemental."

Warren fought to hide nervous laughter.

"I just thought..."

_"Wrong,"_ a voice wafted toward them from the living room and Warren stiffened.

"Mom? Are you there?" he inquired into the pitch black room. He was met with an instant backhanded slap. His free hand went up to his cheek subconsciously and then fell back to his side, only to be clenched into a fist.

Kailey was silent behind him, seeing more with her ears than with any other ability she possessed. In that instant, she decided to employ her powers. She let her power flow outward again, searching for Warren's mother. When she was able to see, she found a woman sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. A flashlight had been shattered against the brick fireplace, and lay in hundreds of tiny, harmless plastic and rubber pieces, just inches from her outstretched right arm. The dark hair, olive skin tone and familiar clothing were the only things that gave Kailey any hint that she was looking at Justice Peace.

The young telempath took in her surroundings and located Manic standing just in front of Warren, her fingers twitching in anticipation of administering the pyro another slap across the face. In the far corner of the room, Kailey noticed a heavy concentration of dark haze. Testing a theory, Kailey decided to seek out the Darkness himself. As she thought the villain's name to herself, her vision tightened in around the dark mass. She glared at the dark corner as she brought herself back to reality and blinked several times as she was forced back into utter darkness once again. She placed a hand on Warren's arm. Or was it his shoulder? Kailey tugged at his sleeve in attempt to gain his attention. "Warren," she whispered, trying to get his attention. He ignored her and called out for his mother again. Kailey frowned at his lack of reply and set her face in stubborn lines.

"_Warren_!" she hissed this time, and heard the crinkle of his leather jacket as he turned slightly to reply to her. Her mind screamed at her in warning not to press his buttons any harder, and that warning was solidified by the tone he used when he replied to her.

"What?" He drawled the word out as slowly as possible, his tone menacing. Kailey hated the fact that he was using that tone on her, but in the heat of the moment...

Kailey allowed the telekinetic portion of her power to leak down into her right hand, the hand that had previously been clutching her cross, and felt her arms shaking as she did so. Once she felt her power jumping from finger to finger like tiny lightning bolts, she took a deep breath.

"_Move!_" she hissed, giving Warren a light shove.

Not expecting her to shove him, Warren tottered over a couple of feet, inadvertently giving Kailey all of the room that she needed to work with. She gathered her power into her hands and created an energy ball, which she then thrust toward the spot where she knew Manic was standing. All of the air went out of the villainess in a _whoosh_, and she was sent flying backward into the fireplace. Kailey felt her strength waning, her mind all but screaming at her not to continue using her powers, but she ignored all of the warning signs; something had to be done to stop these two.

She quickly formed a similar energy ball with her left hand, and threw it at the corner where she had seen the Darkness lurking. Kailey's lavender streams of power lit up the room just enough for her to see that they had issued straight through the hazy mass, and she heard the plaster on the wall crackle behind him.

"A nice try, child, but you'll have to do better than that if you wish to kill me," A British accent floated to them softly, as if it had been spoken directly into their minds.

"I don't want to _kill_ you; I just want you back in jail, and Manic to join you!" Kailey countered, glaring into the darkness.

He laughed at her reply.

"It's prolly not going to happen anytime soon, luv. You see the place? It's a right bloody mess at the moment."

Kailey huffed and reached out an arm to find Warren. Her hand came up empty. "I saw it, but it still won't stop us from putting you away!"

She hissed at her inability to find Warren as she continued to fumble around in the dark.

"Kailey?" she heard him whisper. She reached out again and wiggled her hand about, hoping to come into contact with him. Finally, her hand hit a studded leather bracelet, and she immediately fought the urge not to laugh nervously as she gripped his wrist.

"Warren?" she whispered timidly.

"Yeah?" he whispered in reply, moving awkwardly in the dark to stand next to Kailey once again.

"Remind me," she began, nudging him in the humming silence, "what it was that people used for light a couple hundred years ago." Kailey prayed that he would understand what it was that she was trying to convey to him.

Warren smiled as he realized what she was asking of him. A moment ago, he had thought that she had gone crazy, pushing him out of the way. At the time that she'd done it, he had wondered what kind of insane thoughts had been dancing through her head, but now, it dawned on him that she was trying to end the standoff herself. All she'd needed was room to work her magic.

Warren nodded to himself, knowing full well that she couldn't see him or his response, so he extended his arms completely to either side. As he did so, he used one arm to move her out of the way. He took a deep, steadying breath and felt the angry mask settle back over his face. Here, intimidation was the name of the game.

Kailey took several steps backward until she bumped into what she thought was the kitchen table. In the dark, Kailey could hear a rustling sound coming from the living room, followed by a soft click from a spot nearly three feet in front of her. Kailey smiled brightly as flames erupted outward from Warren's arms and shoulders. Light flared throughout the living room and kitchen, piercing Kailey's eyes, and she was forced to blink several times to regain her visual focus before she was able to register her surroundings. The impermeable darkness had shied away from the light in an instant, and Kailey thanked God that it had. Still wavering on her feet from her rapid drain in power, she fought to see past the intense heat and flames that were emanating from Warren's form. When her eyes could do it, she could see a form lying splayed out in the middle of the floor. Kailey took a moment to judge the distance between Warren and the door facing, and then made a dash for the living room. She squirted past Warren, the heat from his flames singeing her hair and clothes as she passed.

As soon as she hit the hardwood floor, Kailey's feet went out from under her, as if the floor were wet. She used her momentum to slide over to where Warren's mother lay sprawled out over the flooring, but she had taken off a little to quickly and slammed into another form that let out a pained grunt at the contact. Kailey squinted through the slight haze to find that she had collided with Manic. The young telempath fought with herself not to laugh at the situation as she pushed herself back over to the other crumpled figure.

Long black hair covered her face, and Kailey brushed it back to reveal the very ethnic-looking woman that Kailey had seen in her visions.

"Warren!" Kailey called out. "We need more light!"

Warren growled under his breath, took a step into the living room, and allowed his flames to expand outward to cover his chest and back. The new burst of light made the haze recede even further, and Kailey was able to make out the outline of a bruise on the side of Justice's face.

"Ms. Peace! Wake up!" Kailey shook the woman lightly by the shoulder and received no reply. She tried again. "Ms. Peace, _please_. We have to go!"

"You can't wake her. He won't let you," Manic spoke hoarsely from beside her. Kailey turned and glared at the girl.

"Then make him let her go! Since when did the Darkness have that kind of power, any…"

Manic shook her head, interrupting Kailey's angry retort. "Damian…isn't _that_ cruel. From what I've heard, Barron Battle has a…telepath…"

She was silenced by a slap across the face from a darkened corner. The girl's hand flew up to her cheek, cupping it painfully and wincing. Kailey could barely make out the trails of tears glistening in the firelight still burning on Warren's arms. Kailey fought the urge to reach out to the girl who had once been her friend, but steeled herself. She would not, _could_ not, do it. It would only make her look weak, she told herself.

Suddenly, the lights overhead blazed back to life, flooding the room in a white-hot glow, and the Darkness fell to the floor in a disheveled heap, his face contorted into a mask of anger and pain. Warren immediately extinguished his flames and fell to his knees beside his mother. Swiftly, he scooped her up into his arms and held her tightly to his chest as the Darkness rose stiffly beside them. He hauled Manic to her feet, none too gently, and latched onto her wrist as he drug her along behind him.

He retreated silently into a coat closet and closed the door behind them. Kailey watched the entire series of motions with hooded eyes as her vision began to swim with the colors of the room. She fought to stay upright throughout the villains' escape, knowing that they would be captured. At the same time, she also knew that the Peace household was _not_ the place for such a confrontation. It would be right, soon enough, however; and Kailey pledged to herself, then and there, that she would be ready for them. The girl focused herself on not passing out as a sudden wave of nausea hit her.

_"Kailey!" _Warren shouted, not inches in front of her, and she jumped, her mind returning to the reality before her.

"Sorry…" she replied hurriedly, as the colors swam before her eyes once more, and the girl swooned on her knees.

"Kailey, stay with me!" Warren demanded of her, shaking her shoulder roughly in attempt to keep her conscious. A damp rag had materialized in his right hand, and she watched, mesmerized, as he laid it over his mother's forehead gently. Somewhere in the back of Kailey's mind, she knew that he must have gotten the rag while she was staring off into space, but she didn't seem to be able to concentrate on anything. "You have to put up a force field for me, Kailey. I need you!"

"I'm sorry, Warren…I can't…Not enough energy…" Kailey's speech wavered as more words fell incoherently out of her mouth and she flittered in and out of consciousness. She felt a pair of hands take her by the shoulders as she started to fall backwards and ease her down to the carpeted floor beside Justice. Blinking rapidly, Kailey tried to focus on the ceiling above her, anything around her, just to stay awake. She _had_ to stay awake. She had to help Warren.

Kailey was startled out of her concentration when a woman leant in over her, blocking out the bright light emanating from the ceiling fan above her. The woman's face registered a blended look of extreme concern and worry, and she wore a mostly-white super suit, worn with age and use, but still fitting her figure like a glove. It had red and black piping around the edges of an intricate-looking Celtic knot in the center of the torso. Her boots appeared to be red patent leather, and they squeaked in protest as the woman squatted over Kailey and ran a hand over the girl's hair.

The young super's vision steadied momentarily, just enough for the face and the emblem on the woman's suit to become recognizable. Kailey's jaw opened in closed out of shock, just as black began to eat at the edges of her vision.

"M…Mom?" she whispered, as the darkness consumed her completely. Her last thoughts were on the vision of her mother, dressed for the fight of her life.


End file.
